


Dark Valkyrie

by harrypanther



Category: How to Train Your Dragon (Movies)
Genre: Aftermath of Torture, F/M, Main character in mortal peril, Poisoning, Possible Main Character Death, Revenge, Slavery (mention)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-16
Updated: 2019-07-23
Packaged: 2019-08-03 06:08:20
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 32
Words: 122,120
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16320581
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/harrypanther/pseuds/harrypanther
Summary: AU Set during RTTE S5. Hiccup has been captured by Krogan and Viggo who seek the lenses for the DragonEye that he has removed and concealed. When he is rescued, the Riders find he has been condemned to death. Heartbroken, Astrid swears that this cannot be allowed to happen again. Leaving behind friends and family, she sets out on a quest for vengeance, no matter the cost...DISCLAIMER: I don't own How To Train Your Dragon. Rights remain with Cressida Cowell and Dreamworks.





	1. The Prisoner

**One: The Prisoner**

Her heart was breaking as they arrowed down towards the Hunter base, knowing that he was stubborn and brave, knowing he wouldn't have told them what they wanted and fearing what they would have done to her Betrothed. Stormfly was trilling a warning and the other dragons were responding, rolling to avoid volleys of dragonroot arrows and firing back of their own accord. It never ceased to amaze her that the dragons often acted on their own accord where Hiccup and Toothless were concerned-and it drove home the bald fact that the dragons loved Hiccup as well. But not as much as Astrid Hofferson.

She leaned forward, her axe banging against her back as she rolled Stormfly and felt the agile Nadder avoid the arrows with ease, then launch the volley of lethal spines at the Hunters who dived for safety. As her hands tightened, there was no guilt at the two who fell back, the spines driven deep into their bodies, their life leaking over the deck. Astrid directed the Riders, seeing Heather and Windshear take out men on the raised wall, her silent fury effective. Snotlout was whooping and yelling as Hookfang swooped and fired and Astrid nodded to herself that, for once, he had his game face on. But then, it was his cousin and their leader and friend who was imprisoned inside the fortress,

Explosions sounded from her left as the twins flipped past a trio of ballistas and Astrid saw a couple of Hunters line up a net launcher at them. Instinctively, her hand slapped onto the back of Stormfly's head and a single spine shot forward, impaling the Hunter. He dropped backwards and didn't move as she flew down, leaping from her dragon as the others secured the area. Fishlegs and Heather landed by her and glanced at her as the others circled, keeping their exit free. Astrid nodded, her face grim because her heart was aching at the thought of Hiccup in this place. Brave, stubborn defiant Hiccup who put everyone else ahead of his own self, who believed being a leader meant self-sacrifice and leading from the front. And who would never surrender his friends or his dragon, no matter what it cost him.

Tense with every sense on edge, she pressed her body against the rock of the door frame and listened, trying to calm her breathing. She could still recall how they ended here...

oOo

The Fliers had swooped down, their furious Singetail mounts driving the Riders away from their latest attempts to stop their capture of dragons and even Hiccup was starting to lose hope that he could outfight them. But just as hope was waning, Johann had tipped them off that there was an auction of dragons happening in this remote corner of the Archipelago, distant even from the usual Northern Markets, on a small island where the people were strange and unfriendly and the men wore arm-guards, belts and boots made of dragon skin. Hiccup had insisted on going in with Heather, disguised as a prospective buyer-though not wearing any dragon skin clothing: even his devotion to dragons and desire to save them couldn't force him to wear such offensive items.

Of course, Heather had been far better and more pragmatic than he had undercover because Hiccup was a dreadful liar and relatively poor actor, and it was his ambiguity that had given them away in the end. Astrid and Fishlegs had been at the far end of the market when the sudden increase in the patrols had alerted them to a problem. Sharing glances, the two sped through and markets, ducking past stalls laden with dragon skin products and dragon-meat snacks before converging on the almost scrum of men who had surrounded the two disguised Riders.

A roar sounded as Toothless realised his Rider was in danger and the taller shape started, his head snapping round. Astrid glimpsed Hiccup's green eyes widen in shock and he lurched forward, his hands stretched out in front of his body.

"NO! Stay back, bud!" he shouted in concern, before jerking back as the point of a spear jabbed at his chest.

"I wouldn't move, if I were you," a familiar smooth voice said and Hiccup stiffened, his hand pushing Heather behind him.

"Viggo," he said, his voice level and edged with hatred. He could never forget that the leader of the Hunters had held Astrid as a hostage, threatening her life for the DragonEye...which he had thrown into the volcano on the Edge. But his plan had backfired, for Viggo had survived...and so had the device. The man walked forward, the ruined left half of his face reminding the young dragon rider that his plan had been partially successful. But behind him walked the cloaked shape of Krogan, his cold eyes and cruel.

"It seems you just can't stay away," the Hunter growled.

"And it seems you had to find another ugly sidekick to replace your brother," Hiccup shot back grimly. He was breathing hard, surrounded. He had promised Dagur that he would look out for his sister and though he knew Heather was very capable, he felt responsible for her anyway.

"And Heather...it seems that traitors just don't prosper..." Viggo said smoothly and extended his hand. "Drop your weapons..."

"Are you kidding?" she growled. "I don't trust you..."

"A wise move," the Hunter complimented her. "However, you have no option."

"Now, bud!" Hiccup yelled and the whine and detonation of plasma blasts suddenly surrounded them. Krogan was moving forward even as Hiccup slammed into him, shoving him back into Viggo before turning towards the Night Fury. He yelped as a hand grabbed his one good ankle and dragged him to the ground, hitting with a thud. He kicked out vigorously with his prosthetic leg as he tried to scramble for his Inferno sword. Heather was fighting fiercely with her double-ended axe and with a yell, Astrid broke through the lines and carved into the surrounding Hunters. The locals melted away, suddenly deciding there was other, safer entertainment to be had elsewhere.

"HOLD!" Krogan's growling voice sounded above the chaos and the Riders and Toothless all froze, seeing him holding a knife to Hiccup's throat. "Drop your weapons unless you want to watch him die..."

"And then you...die a second later..." Hiccup choked, scarcely daring to breathe. "B-bud...when he-he moves..."

"I believe we have an impasse..." Viggo said thoughtfully, seeing the plasma glowing in Toothless's that. The dragon recalled his attempt to stab Hiccup previously and had an unremitting hostility to the Hunter. He had no doubt the Night Fury would kill him. "So we need a hostage..." He nodded and Hiccup found his arm twisted agonisingly behind his back.

"Boy...couldn't wait to spend more time with me?" Hiccup gasped. "Should've sent me a letter and I'm sure we could have fitted you into the stables again..." Krogan twisted Hiccup's arm harder.

"I'm certain you could answer certain...questions we require answering..." he threatened.

"Pretty certain I can't," Hiccup managed.

"No..." Astrid growled, tensing and ready to lurch forward but Hiccup looked her straight in the eye and his voice was very level when he spoke.

"Take Toothless," he told her. "We are outnumbered and if we stay, they will get him and you and your dragons as well. Please, Astrid-I need you to do this." He swallowed, the tip of the knife grazing the pale skin of his throat, the faint smudge of red bright against his skin.

"Hiccup...no..." she said, her eyes widening.

"That's an order, Astrid," he said evenly. "There will be other chances. They won't kill me for now...I think they have other uses for me."

"Swear it!" Astrid shouted. "Swear it or we finish this now..." Viggo swept his remaining brown eye over the riders and the enraged Night Fury and read their determination.

"I will keep him alive until he begs for death," he said smoothly. Heather's eyes widened and she opened her mouth to scorch a rebuke but Hiccup nodded very slightly.

"Accepted," he murmured. Krogan nodded, threw him into Viggo's arms and in the same motion, he snapped a blowpipe to his mouth and shot a dart into Toothless. The Night Fury roared then collapsed as the Hunters all turned to the Riders and closed on them. Hiccup's eyes widened and he struggled violently, until he was clubbed over the head by Krogan-as his friends vanished under a scrum of attacking Hunters.

Roaring and enraged at the double cross, Astrid carved her way through a dozen Hunters, uncaring how vicious she was. Hiccup was a man who looked for the peaceful solution, who avoided killing if he could-but Astrid was raised as a warrior, planning her life as a Shield Maiden until she met Hiccup and realised her mind may want a life of battle but her heart and soul belonged to the awkward, brilliant, amazing auburn-haired Viking whose betrothal gift now hung around her neck under her tunic.

Fishlegs gave a cry as a sword sliced his arm but Heather cut down the man who wounded him. Astrid leapt forward and drove the men away from Toothless, checking the dragon was unharmed and still breathing. Slowly, the ranks around them thinned-especially as with a roar, Dagur, Snotlout and the twins joined the fray with their dragons, making short work of the last attackers. Breathing hard, sprayed in blood and exhausted, Astrid lowered her axe and nodded in acknowledgement for the help. Dagur was checking Heather was fine before he turned to the blonde woman.

"Where's my brother?" he asked, his voice edged with steel. She gestured in the direction he had vanished.

"Viggo and Krogan took him," she said in an exhausted voice. "He gave himself up to save us...and then they attacked us anyway."

"We saw a couple of Singetails fly off east," Tuff commented and then he frowned. "They had Hiccup?" Astrid nodded.

"We have no idea where their base is...and we will need to regroup and treat Toothless," she sighed.

"I've got the Dragon Root cure at the Edge," Fishlegs explained, as Heather bandaged his arm.

"Does no one think this was a trap?" Snotlout asked snarkily. "Because I have to say, Trader Johann has really sent us the wrong way this time!"

"Yeah-that seems to happen a lot," Ruff muttered as she helped Heather. Astrid stared at the unconscious Toothless and then walked to rest her hand on the unconscious dragon's scaly head.

"It's okay, Toothless," she murmured. "We'll get him back-and I am going to make them pay for this. I swear on Odin, Thor and Freya."

oOo

Flipping her axe into her hand, she charged down the corridor, taking out the first two men before they could even react. The third man began to run down the passage, heading for reinforcements...before an axe slammed into his back, cutting him down without any warning. Astrid sprinted up, wrenching her axe free and crouching, her azure eyes narrowing. The place was damp and dank, the lights dim and a few heavy cell doors space erratically. Silently, she paced down the way until she penetrated the very furthest reaches and a single door, guarded by two men.

Rage ignited in her chest, knowing who had to be in there and her knuckles whitened around the haft of her axe as she calculated the distance and then she paused and shrank back into the shadows as stepped approached.

"How did they find us?" Krogan growled, pacing rapidly towards the cell. There was a pause and Viggo gave a small chuckle.

"You underestimate the Riders," he told his ally smoothly, a slight steer lifting his scarred face. "Even without Hiccup, they are a remarkably effective and focussed. And they are incredibly loyal to him. This doesn't surprise me. But it seems a shame that we have to end it-when we still have intelligence to tease out of his stubborn head." The other man gave a scowl, heading directly for the guarded door and flipping a weapon into his hand, a strange kind of axe with a ferocious curved blade.

"It will be too quick for him," he said sadistically. "Unless we leave him mortally wounded? That would mean his friends can have the triumph of rescuing him...in time to watch him die." Viggo gave him a curt nod.

"I have already prepared for that eventuality," he said smoothly. "During our last session, I gave him the toxin. I had hoped the effects would render him more pliable but now…well, we will not be available to administer the cure…" Krogan gave a growl.

"Not quick enough," he growled. "It will be more instructive for his friends to find his corpse, knowing they were minutes too late." Pausing for a moment, Viggo paused, and then he smoothly nodded.

"I have enjoyed our battle-but all things pass," he said philosophically. "Do it!"

And then Astrid launched herself forward, screaming in fury as she slammed Krogan aside. She knew he was a dangerous fighter, ruthless and sadistic but she was skilled, fifteen years of training and practice and years of loving Hiccup driving her on. She was determined not to let them kill him, every movement impossibly swift and brutal. Viggo back-pedalled and dived away as the blonde Viking attacked Krogan. He kept forging forward, the clang of metal on metal loud in the corridor as Astrid swore and cursed. The two guards tried to stop her but fell swiftly and she kicked the bodies aside, grasping a sword to help her fight furiously.

And then shouts sounded from up the corridor and the dark-skinned man glanced up-to see Snotlout, Dagur and Heather all racing forward, various weapons raised and eyes fixed on the man. The guards who were coming up the passage backed away, less than enthusiastic as the Riders charged. Suddenly Krogan slammed his weapon at Astrid's head and as she parried, he turned away, sprinting after Viggo. Dagur and Snotlout ran after them but Astrid stopped, breathing hard as she turned back to the heavily armoured door. Then she turned to the metal and rested her hand against it.

"Is he in here?" Heather asked, her tone concerned and Astrid nodded, her face suddenly apprehensive.

"Yes," she breathed. "Now we get him back..."

oOo

Inside the cell, the single prisoner lay on his side, muzzily listening to the sounds outside. There were clangs and yells and he wondered if one of the prisoners had escaped...or if they were coming for him again. And then he heard the echoes of voices that froze his spine: Viggo and Krogan. Trembling he curled up, his legs pulled up against his abdomen, his arms wrapped around his body and head tucked in. His tunic was shredded, like the skin underneath it-but he had still refused to do anything they had asked.

He shivered and tilted his head. They had beaten and whipped him, burnt and cut and scared him, breaking his hand and battering his face. One eye was closed and there was a cut over the eyebrow: they had been aiming to blind him but he had jerked his head away-and in a fury, the blow he had earned had probably broken his cheek. His eye was so swollen that he wasn't sure if it still worked or not and they had threatened to take his other eye, robbing him of ever hoping to see again. And that had almost broken him, at the thought of never seeing Astrid's beautiful face again, never seeing her nose crinkle as she frowned or her eyebrows dip as she smirked before punching his arm or her lips purse just as she was about to kiss him...

He would have loved to have seen her again...but they had taken him to secret base and they had tortured him for weeks for information that he could never give them-even if he knew the answers. They were never letting him go. Viggo had sent bounty hunters after him before, to take him back for the Dragon Hunter to kill...but now, he seemed to enjoy seeing Hiccup suffer.

And then he realised: the voices had stopped and he slightly lifted his head, his good eye peering at the door. And then there was the clunk of the bars and he curled up again, gritting his teeth and trying to prepare himself for the coming ordeal...but his breath was coming in scared pants, his heart fluttering in his chest and hands trembling.

"I'm sorry, Astrid," he whispered, closing his eyes and hearing the door creak as it opened. He knew he would never see her again. But he hunched up tighter as he heard steps close on him, pause...and then accelerate towards him. He whimpered as someone bent over him and he stiffened as a hand, gentle and tender, landed on his lacerated shoulder. He flinched and tried to cringe away.

"Hiccup?"

His eye snapped open and his head jerked up in sudden, dizzy hope.

"A-Astrid?" he croaked. She leaned closer, her blonde hair framing her beautiful face glowing in the backlight and her hand very gently reached to press against his battered face. His eyes fluttered closed and he pressed into her touch, still wondering if he was dreaming.

"I'm here, babe," she assured him, sliding a hand under him and lifting him into her arms. At the sensation of her warmth, of human flesh against his own, offering him safety and comfort instead of pain and fear, he reacted on instinct, wrapping his arms tight around her and burying his face into her chest.

"Astrid," he whimpered as her arms closed tighter around him.

"Hiccup, my love," she murmured, burying her face in his hair. "You're safe now..." There were noises at the door and she felt him curled tighter against her, afraid and ashamed and she kissed the top of his head.

"Is he here?" Snotlout asked from the door and she looked up and nodded.

"Yes," she said firmly. "Now we take him home."


	2. The Wine of Hela

**Two: The Wine of Hela**

The journey home was fraught, for the fortress has been remote and they knew they needed to get him back to Berk, for his injuries needed Gothi. Hiccup had passed out once they had taken off, pain and exhaustion overcoming what little strength he had left and Astrid had cradled his broken body in her arms, feeling him shockingly light. He was tall, his long shape cuddled to her but it was no burden-because Hiccup would never be a burden. When she became his girlfriend, when she became his Betrothed, she accepted him-all of him, including his unerring ability to get into trouble and his propensity for surrendering to save his friends. And she loved him fiercely.

The journey was largely silent because her frayed patience had run out long before they were anywhere near halfway home and even the twins and Snotlout had shut up as the furious blonde had yelled at them. But no one argued with her authority, because they were all concerned. Heather remained close and Dagur on Sleuther was flying alongside Stormfly, his eyes drifting over to the unconscious shape. He had tried to kill Hiccup so many times before he had made his peace with his demons and now to see the auburn-haired viking so wounded made the Berserker feel ashamed. And he could read Astrid's white-hot fury and despair as she cradled her Betrothed on the long flight.

But he was mumbling and delirious long before the jagged shape of Berk was finally in sight, after a trip that had pushed the Riders to their limit. As ever, they flew at the pace of their slowest rider-FIshlegs on Meatlug-because they needed each other and though his dragon was slow, his knowledge of botany and basic healing was essential. But when they had short breaks to allow the dragons a brief respite and everyone to stretch their limbs and get some food, Astrid remained with Hiccup, holding his burning hand and staring into the battered face.

"How is he?" she asked in a low voice as she dripped water over his cracked lips, seeing his throat work as he swallowed. There were bruises there, marks of hands and certainly a collar that made her want to turn away in anger. Fishlegs sighed.

"Not getting any better," he admitted. "The fever is worrying, to be honest. There is no evidence of festering in his wounds-though they are all very severe, by the way." She grimaced and nodded, her eyes softening at the thought. And then she blinked and her mask was back up, the ferocious warrior protecting her chief, not the girl screaming in anguish at the wounds to her lover.

"What are you saying?" she asked him and the husky dragon rider sighed.

"They had him for a long period of time and they used everything at their disposal to make him talk," he said carefully. "There is evidence that they beat him, whipped and cut and burnt him. They used acid-probably Changewing acid-and some of the marks on him are very like dragon claws or spines." He took a shuddering breath. "They used parts of dragons to torture him with, Astrid. The man who loves dragons was broken to pieces using the creatures he protects."

She closed her eyes because tears were burning at that moment and one escaped, sliding down her cheek.

"And he'd do it again," she said hoarsely. "Because he's Hiccup and he's an idiot."

"Dragons also have venom," Fishlegs added quietly. "Some are very poisonous. And it's likely dragon hunters would have more practical experience of dragon venoms than we would. They…they could have poisoned him…" She rested a hand against his cheek, feeling the boggy swelling where his cheek was broken and absently noting how hot his skin was.

"They never meant for us to get him back," she murmured. "They were going to kill him when we arrived. And they made sure even if we did rescue him…he wouldn't survive."

"Gothi is the oldest and wisest healer in the Archipelago," Fishlegs told her with absolute confidence. "She will know what to do." And then Astrid looked up, the faintest hint of defeat in her clear azure gaze.

"And what if there is nothing to do?" she asked quietly. "Some venoms have no cure…Scauldron for example… So what if this is one of them? What if the only thing we can do is bring him home to die?" She swallowed. "What can I say to the Chief?"

"He trusted you to lead the mission to rescue him, Astrid," the other rider reminded her, his kindly eyes seeing her distress. "He knew you would do everything and more to bring his son back. You cannot undo what has been done. You can only rescue him and let others use their skills to save him." He swallowed. "And if there is nothing more that can be done, the Chief will still thank you for allowing him to be with his son at the end." She scrambled to her feet.

"I won't let it end like this," she said angrily. "He deserves more. He deserves everything! And I will make sure he gets it!" She looked around her weary friends and their wearier dragons. "Wings up in five! We have to get Hiccup home!"

oOo

The horns sounded as they swooped in over the Plaza and the A Team flew an escort for the leader of all the Dragon Riders of Berk as they came in to land. The huge, flaming-haired shape of Stoick came racing out, all thoughts of his dignity forgotten with Gobber limping alongside his concerned friend. And the desolate shape of Toothless came barrelling out as well, his eyes locked on the Nadder as she landed. Stoick was at her side in a second, his arms outstretched for the young man swathed in blankets.

"Give him here, lass," he said gruffly, his sharp eyes noting his son's limp shape damp with sweat and eyes closed. Reluctantly, Astrid handed him over and watched with a lump in her throat as the great Chief cradled his son like a child, tenderly resting his head against the chest to hear the galloping heartbeat and wincing at the scorching fever. Then he looked up. "Thank you, Astrid," he said softly. "Thank you for bringing my son home."

Toothless crooned and nudged Hiccup but the young man remained limp and unresponsive, his hand not moving to caress the distraught Night Fury. Big green eyes swung up to look at the Chief and the huge Viking gave a sympathetic nod.

"It's alright, Toothless-he'll be right as rain soon," he said with an assurance he didn't feel. "We'll get him to Gothi and she'll sort him out, no doubt!" But Astrid remained sitting on her dragon long after the others had scattered to see their families, after Stoick and Gobber had taken Hiccup to Gothi's hut high on the sea-stack outside the village and after the A Team had resumed their patrol. The Deadly Nadder shifted under her and gave a low croak, dragging her mind back to the present. Wearily, she leapt down and patted the dragon.

"You're right, girl," she said with a forced smile. "Let's get this saddle off you and then we can feed you. And maybe…I can visit my parents, before I go up to check on Hiccup." Trilling in concern, Stormfly nudged her and she sighed. "OK, maybe I can visit my parents _after_ I have checked up on Hiccup," she conceded.

oOo

The hut was cool and dim, the fire in the fire pit bright and throwing out a deeply scented smoke as the pot boiled. Gothi stirred the mixture with a frown, then poured herself a cup of tea. There were the shuffling of feet and the creak of very heavy bodies trying not to crush the crude stools they were sitting on as Stoick and Gobber waited with almost no patience at all.

"Mebbe I could go and see what the old baggage is up to," Gobber offered but Stoick laid a heavy hand on his shoulder to restrain him.

"You know she hit you three times over the head to make you leave," he remained the blacksmith and the two-limbed man grimaced.

"Ornery as a hundred year old goat," he grumbled. "And half as pretty."

"But the best healer around," Stoick reminded his friend with relief. He had faith in Gothi who was smart, incredibly knowledgeable and stubborn-all of which seemed to be excellent traits for a healer. Unusually, the old woman had shooed them out immediately when they had brought in the battered shape of Hiccup and she had turned to her task immediately-and in private. Suspecting she must have picked up something that really concerned her, Stoick hadn't argued-as he would usually-because there was something about her manner that was _worried_. And usually, nothing scared Gothi.

They looked up as the door opened and the familiar lithe shape of Astrid walked in, her trusty axe still slung across her back. It was clear she hadn't rested or eaten since her return but Gothi poked her head round the doorway when she heard the door to her hut open and grinned, silently pointing to the unoccupied seat and hobbling to the pot, giving it another stir and then scooping out a big bowlful of fish stew, which she gave to Astrid with a wink. Obediently, the girl began to eat, her eyes flicking up to the hanging rug that separated the room where Hiccup was being treated from the main part of the wooden shack. Gobber sniffed and then gave a growl.

"And yer couldnae ha' offered us a bite as well?" he grumbled. Gothi grabbed her staff, scowled and scratched a few symbols on the floor. Stoick frowned.

"What does she say?" he asked. He had never got the hang of Gothi's language but he knew Gobber, Fishlegs and his son could all read her runes.

"She says the stew is for the lass because she knew that Astrid would come straight here to her beloved without caring for herself-so she would care for Astrid as well," she said. Gothi scratched another couple of symbols and underlined them. "Oh-and she knew the lazy good-for-nothing Gobber would eat the lot before she arrived if he knew. Hey!" Stoick chuckled. The Elder was ornery but she was very fond of Gobber, as she was of the Chief himself. Eating rapidly, Astrid smiled at the wizened old woman.

"Thank you, Gothi," she said. "How is he?"

There was a silent moment and then she beckoned all the concerned family forward, bringing them in to see him. Toothless was already curled by the bed, refusing to leave his Rider and blaming himself that he had been taken down and Hiccup had been hurt as a result. The black dragon was watching Hiccup very closely and Gothi limped in, a sorrowful look in her squinting gaze. She tossed some sand on the floor and began to explain, the scratch of her staff loud in the silence, only punctuated by Hiccup's raspy breaths. Gobber peered at the symbols and translated.

"He is dying," he read. There was a pause. "That can't be right…" Gothi hit him with her staff irritably. For a man who was a Council Elder of Berk, Gobber was really bad at trusting the Elder. She scratched some more.

"Please-what is she saying?" Astrid asked, her voice stricken.

"He has been tortured," Gobber read, his voice somber. "He has many wounds-some he would not want you to see, which is why I treated him in private." There was a pause and she smoothed out the symbols and began scratching once more. "But he has been whipped, cut, burnt, beaten, cauterised with acid, branded…" There was a pause.

"Branded?" Stoick's voice was stricken. Gothi nodded.

"There is a Hunter brand on his chest," Gobber read. Closing his eyes, the Chief groaned.

"Gods," he murmured.

"He must have endured unimaginable pain," Gobber read, his voice thick with emotion. "I cannot tell you all they did to hurt him. But it was horrible." His eyes flicked up to Astrid, her face white with horror. "He's still the man you knew-they haven't taken anything more than his freedom, lass. And quite a lot of blood…" He swallowed. "But he is feverish and his breathing is becoming difficult."

"They branded him," Stoick whispered. "My son. My boy. They…how dare they _enslave_ him?"

"They are just animals," Astrid said. "They destroy intelligent, gentle creatures for profit. They kill without thought. Why would they not see human life as just another commodity?"

"But he's my son!" Stoick raged, his face growing red. He let out a furious roar that echoed across the village, stopping the riders in their tracks. Every eye turned towards Gothi's hut and as one, they excused themselves from their families and headed to find out what had happened to their leader.

"Stoick-no one need ever know," Gobber offered, resting his hand on the Chief's arm. Stoick was furious and devastated.

"They know!" he ground out. "They have taken his place as Heir, his very identity. They have made him property, not a Viking of Berk! And he is my son!"

"And my Betrothed…" Astrid reminded him sternly, her eyes resting on the battered shape. Quietly, she took his hand, heavily bandaged, and crouched at his side, lifting the hand to her lips. The skin was impossibly hot, heavy and without any sign of life. His eyes were deeply shadowed but closed and his face flushed with fever. Now she understood why Gothi had dressed him in a loose shirt-to hide his shame and she closed her eyes, allowing tears to slip down her face. "It doesn't matter, Hiccup," she whispered. "I love you. There will always be a Hiccup and Astrid. So you hold on-because we will make it right. I will make it right."

"After torture like this-so brutal for so long-he may well not be the same man you know, even if he survives and no one finds out about the brand," Gobber murmured, his saddened blue gaze sweeping over the skinny shape. Helping to raise Hiccup had made him love the young man like a son and Gobber's curmudgeonly old heart was broken to see him so wounded.

"Hiccup is strong," Astrid said with conviction. "He never broke." Gothi scowled at them, pointing at the symbols she had scratched, unnoticed, on the floor.

"But after an experience this brutal…well, it changes a man," the Chief agreed. "And with the knowledge of what they have done to him, what they have taken…he probably won't be the Hiccup we know."

Exasperated, Gothi swung her staff and caught both Stoick and Gobber across the face. Both men yelped and clutched at the points of impact, muttering curses.

"OW! I'm the Chief, you know!"

"Ornery old yak! Ye didnae need tae do that!"

"Chief…I think she wants you to look at the symbols!" Astrid pointed out, her hand still clasped around Hiccup's, her fingers feeling the breaks in his and cringing inwardly that those clever, dexterous hands were so damaged. Rubbing his ear, which was stinging from the clout of Gothi's staff, Gobber peered at the symbols-and then his eyes widened.

"Um…Stoick…she says that he has been poisoned," he read.

"What?" The Chief's voice was loud in the sudden silence.

"The Wine of Hela," Gobber read with mounting horror. "A poison derived from three dragon venoms, likely to take his life within seven moons of today."

"Is there a cure?" Stoick asked, his eyes boring into the old woman's gaze. She paused and nodded. She scratched again.

"But no one knows what it is," she wrote as Astrid's heart plummeted in despair. "It may be documented in the records on Frost Isle…but no one has looked there for over two hundred years…and it's a long way away by ship…"

"But far less by dragon," Stoick pointed out. "Astrid-can you round up the Riders and bring them here?" There was a pause and she shook her head.

"No," she said quietly, already hearing what she had expected. "They've already come." The door opened and the Riders entered, unusually quiet and somber as they glimpsed their felled leader. Snotlout paled and Fishlegs looked ill. Heather's hand found Dagur's and the Berserker Chief quietly stared at the beaten shape.

"How is he?" he asked as the Chief shook his head.

"He's dying," he managed in a gruff whisper. "Viggo poisoned him."

"There must be a cure right?" Snotlout put in, his eyes trailing to his cousin. "I mean, he wouldn't use a poison that he didn't have an antidote to. What if he accidentally scratched himself?"

"Oooh-I know the answer to that one!" Tuff offered before his twin slapped her hand over his mouth.

"Sorry," she said. "He doesn't handle sickness well…"

"The recipe to the cure may be on Frost Isle," Astrid said calmly, her eyes never leaving the flushed face of her Betrothed. "Fishlegs, we need you and Heather on this mission. You can decipher the cure." There was the thump of a staff on the wooden floor. "And you'll need to take Gothi," she added, seeing the old woman scowl. "I guess that means Gobber will be acting as Healer until she gets back…"

"Thor help us," Stoick muttered.

"Twins-you and Snotlout go with them to make sure they get safely there-and more importantly, safely back with the cure." Then she paused. "Chief-I need you and Dagur to use every contact, every favour you have to try to find a clue to this poison-and where Viggo and Krogan are." Brows dipping in a frown, Stoick looked at her.

"You seem to have a plan, Astrid-but I haven't heard what you will be doing while we find the cure?"

Finally, she looked up, her eyes hard as ice, her face set.

"I am going after Viggo and Krogan," she said. "They did this to Hiccup. It's never happening again." They stared at her, hearing the cold in her voice.

"Astrid?" the Chief asked. Finally, she rose from her crouch, Hiccup's scalding hand still held tenderly in hers.

"It's never happening again," she repeated. "Because I'm going to end them all."


	3. Quests

**Three: Quests**

"I'm going to end them all."

There was an aeons-long pause as the assembled Vikings stared at the slender blonde, her body tense, before Stoick took a pace forward and rested a paternal hand on her armoured shoulder. He sighed. In his younger days, he had been known as 'Stoick the Vindictive'-before he qualified to be called 'the Vast' and he could fully appreciate the absolute need to wreak fiery vengeance upon those who had tormented and broken his son in such cruel and vicious ways…but he knew as well that Hiccup needed them more than ever now.

"Astrid-vengeance can wait for another day," he murmured. "Hiccup needs our help now…"

"And what help can we give him?" she asked baldly. "Make him live a little longer-so they come and claim him? Or capture him again and break more pieces off my love? And you know they will try to stop us finding any cure so that we have the triumph of rescuing him…only to watch him die, feeling utterly helpless?" Her brow furrowed. "Someone has to stop them-and I am that person."

"Then I will go with you, lass-because he is my son as well," the Chief told her firmly.

"Don't forget ole' Gobber!" the blacksmith volunteered eagerly.

"Chief-you are needed here-by your son and your Tribe," Astrid said calmly. "If they attack here to kill him, you are needed to lead your people…"

"And so are you!" he reminded her. She gave twisted smile.

"They have their missions-and I have mine," she said. "Hiccup only stands a chance if we all do our part-and that includes my stopping them getting close enough to harm him again."

"Lass-he needs you," Stoick tried and she nodded.

"I know," she said. "But I can't imagine a world without him in. I can't imagine a world where I have to live every day, knowing I could have stopped the people who did this to Hiccup." The Chief stared into her face and then nodded.

"At least wait until we have given the cure a shot," he asked and the girl gave a reluctant nod, her eyes trailing back to the motionless shape on the bed. Apart from the shallow rise and fall of his chest, there was little other sign that Hiccup was still alive. Quietly, she crouched down again by his bed and lifted his hand to her mouth.

"I'm here, babe," she assured him. "Don't stop fighting, Hiccup. Toothless needs you. Berk needs you. And I-I can't imagine a world without you. You said there should always be a Hiccup and Astrid. I need you to make sure that's the case. We'll find the cure…and then we'll end Viggo and Krogan."

oOo

Frost Isle was a remote, desolate hunk of rock situated even further north than Freezing-To-Death and was the original location of the AllThing, the council of the Viking settlers of the Archipelago, four centuries earlier. As the number of Tribes expanded and the weather deteriorated to the point where Frost Isle became uninhabitable, the outpost had been abandoned and the Council of Chiefs had replaced the AllThing with a rotating location. The inhabitants of Frost Isle scattered and joined other Tribes and the place was largely forgotten.

The dragon riders closed on the remote speck, the silver shape of Windshear leading with Snotlout and the twins vying for second place in the phalanx. Fishlesg brought up the rear-as usual-with Gothi flying beside him on her Gronckle. The Healer was focussed and silent, her staff carefully stowed on her saddle while Fishlegs was scanning every book on botany he possessed as he rode. But no one had even mentioned the Wine of Hela, let alone any hint of a cure. So the riders pressed on, wrapped in their warmest clothes until, as night fell, they made it to Frost Isle.

The place was unremittingly bleak, snow blowing around and a scouring wind blasting the huddled riders and dragons. Hookfang immediately flamed up and Snotlout huddled close to his dragon, warming his hands on the flames.

"Well this sucks," he commented.

"Actually, my dear sir, I think you'll find it blows," Tuff put in. "As in…a gale."

"Silence-all of you!" Heather snapped, looking over to Fishlegs and Gothi. "We need shelter-there's no sense in wandering around in the dark."

"I've found an old map in the Berk Archives," Fishlegs offered. "We landed on the southern coastline-and a mile north there is the main settlement. There should still be some buildings standing there because they built of stone. There are no trees on Frost Isle."

"Makes you wonder why they came here in the first place," Heather muttered. Gothi paused-and then began to scratch on the ground.

"She says…when they arrived, the weather was less extreme and this island was the first they reached in the Archipelago with no signs of dragon damage. After a few years, the weather got worse and they headed south, past Freezing-to-Death which was uninhabitable and Hopeless, which has no water, to Berk and the rest of the islands. They had to choose dragon raids or death so they settled the islands and the war began."

A sombre silence fell over them.

"Okay-that's depressing," Snotlout commented. "Let's find that shelter. Or the Archipelago may have to mourn to loss of all this beauty…"

oOo

Astrid's family were welcoming and delighted to see her, though sympathetic to her plight. And she had to try really hard to be sociable and show interest in the tales of her cousins and extended family when all she wanted to do was to be at Hiccup's side, spending every last second she could with him. But the fact was that she was betrothed, not married to Hiccup and had no right to be at his side all the time.

But in the evening, after her family had gone to bed, she clambered out of the window and walked down to the Chief's House, where Stoick and his dying son were now staying. She tentatively knocked and there was a pause before the Chief's gruff voice called:

"Come in, lass!" Frowning, she pushed the door open and walked into the warm, dim space, carefully closing it behind her. Stoick chuckled when he caught her face. "Who else would be visiting at this time of night, Astrid? And never fear-you have every right to visit him whenever you want. I still have Chiefing duties and I hate for him to be alone, to wake and not have someone here that he loves." His voice had thickened.

"How is he?" she asked, not trusting herself to meet his stricken face. He sighed.

"The same," he admitted, the chair creaking under his bulk. "His fever is a little lower because Gothi dosed him with moss and willow tea before she left-but he hasn't woken." She puled up a stool and sat at the Chief's side, taking Hiccup's hot hand in hers, feeling the now-familiar breaks in his dexterous fingers.

"He will," she said tonelessly. "He's Hiccup. He doesn't know how to give up."

"And nor do we-eh, Astrid?" the Chief said astutely. "We are both warriors and though we know some battles have very small chances of victory, that doesn't stop us fighting."

"That practically defines a Viking," Astrid commented, gently stroking the back of Hiccup's hand.

"Did you mean what you said?" Stoick asked her gently and she nodded absently.

"If Hiccup dies, then I will go," she said flatly. "I won't let them get away with this." And finally she looked up and he saw tears shimmering in her beautiful blue eyes.

"Astrid, if you decide to walk that road, this may a road you can only walk down and not return," he warned her. "Vengeance is a monster that can consume you. It may change you from the lass that Hiccup loves to someone else."

"And if he dies, I won't care," she said slowly. "There should always be a Hiccup and Astrid…but Viggo and Krogan seem determined to separate us. And even if he survives, he may no longer be mine. The Hunter clan may claim him as their slave." Stoick leaned close.

"Not if they're all dead," he murmured. "If my son dies…or if they try to enslave him…I will fight at your side to take them down." She shook her head.

"If Hiccup dies, you will need to look after the Tribe-as Hiccup would want you to. And you'd need to try to train Snotlout as an Heir." Stoick's eyebrows shot up and he stared at her.

"Did you seriously say that?" he asked her.

"Who else is there?" she replied.

"You?" he suggested but she shook her head absently.

"If he dies, I kill them all," she reminded him. "And I go. Forever. Because doing that would disappoint Hiccup…and I would know it. I couldn't return to Berk where everything would remind me of him."

"The Riders would need you," Stoick murmured.

"They'd manage," she sighed.

"I…need…you…" a hoarse voice breathed and they both started. Hiccup's eye fluttered open and the grip on her hand tightened slightly. "And you…were getting on…so well…"

"Son!" Stoick breathed as the battered young man managed a smile.

"Hey, Dad…" he murmured. "Hey, Milady…"

"How do you feel?" she asked, leaning close and pressing a gentle kiss to his cheek.

"Just great," he lied, his eye searching her face. His swollen and wounded eye was securely bandaged and she realised there was fear in his clear gaze. "But…I was listening…and you mentioned me dying rather a lot…"

There was an awkward pause.

"Son…" Stoick began and then looked helplessly at Astrid. She took his hot hand in both of hers.

"Viggo and Krogan have poisoned you," she explained, smiling to try to convince him that he wasn't doomed. He swallowed.

"Thirsty…" he murmured and she tenderly poured him water and allowed him to drink. He licked his lips. "Bad?"

"The others are on their way to find out about the cure," she assured him.

"Viggo…must have it…in case of accidents," he murmured.

"But we can't just rely on that…" Stoick put in. "So we've sent Gothi and Fishlegs on the case…" He tried a smile.

"They'll find the answer…" he mumbled. "But in case…shouldn't someone go after Viggo?" The blonde and the Chief shared a look.

"We can do that," she said. "If we knew where they had vanished to…"

"Maybe…Johann can help?" Hiccup asked haltingly. "He may hear something…"

Then he caught their expression.

"How long do I have?" he asked.

"Six moons," Astrid said slowly and he took a slow breath.

"Okay…less time than I would have liked," he admitted. "Don't give up-because I won't…" And then his eyelids fluttered. "Tired…" he mumbled and she leaned forward and kissed him. "Love you, Astrid. Love you, Dad."

"Love you, Babe," she murmured as Stoick mumbled "Love you, son." He smiled.

"Stay with me," he breathed and then his eyes closed, his breathing deepening to sleep. The Chief looked over at the young woman and saw tears trickle down her cheeks.

"I think I'll stay awhile," he murmured. "How about you, lass?"

"Nowhere else I can be right now," she murmured.

oOo

Reaching the village of Frost Isle was enlightening, finding solid and silent stone houses half-buried in the drifting snows. However, it didn't take the dragons long to dig the largest house out and make sure the smoke-hole was clear. Heather and Snotlout went first, checking the stale-smelling cottage for danger and finding that, though musty, there was nothing else of concern in there. The dragons started a fire and the riders huddled up, trusting their friends to warn them of any danger.

But they had only been asleep for a short while when the howling of the wind woke most of them. The fire flickered and began to lower and the twins urgently fed the flames and made sure the fire survived. All Berkians learned how to deal with exposure especially in Devastating Winter…but on Frost Isle, it seemed to be Devastating Winter all the time. Gothi rolled her eyes and then snuggled up against her Gronckle, while the others huddled together.

"We could tell ghost stories…" Tuff suggested as Snotlout rolled his eyes.

"Oh please…I am so awesome I cannot be frightened by your stupid tales!" he scoffed.

"Yeah-no one wants to hear your stupid stories," Ruff growled.

"Okay, so the first one goes like this…" Tuff began, judiciously ignoring everyone as Fishlegs edged closer to Heather.

"Am I the only one who thinks this is a bad idea?' he asked. She sighed.

"No-but they're so muttonheaded they'll be up all night scaring themselves silly and then be useless for the search when it gets light," she sighed. "Okay, Tuff-enough…"

"…and the howling of the wind formed the plaintive words… _Help me…Help me…_ " the male twin continued. Snotlout was already cringing back against Hookfang.

"Let him finish," Ruff pleaded. "We wanna hear Snotlout scream-he screams exactly like a girl!"

"Come on…you're not serious…" Heather huffed.

"Seriously-haven't you heard him?" Ruff asked in surprise. "He's totally like a girl…"

"…and the steps came closer…closer…" Tuff continued. "…until…"

There was a loud crash that made everyone jump. Barf'n'Belch shared a satisfied look. Snotlout was now hiding his face.

"…the steps were within the room…"

There was a repeated creaking…almost certainly due to Ruffnut, Heather guessed.

"…until they stopped…"

There was silence.

"And finally…" Tuff whispered. "A tiny, plaintive voice whispered the name of her next victim…" He leaned until he was right by Snotlout's ear. "SNOTLOUT!" he yelled at the top of his voice.

The stocky rider jumped the air, his high-pitched scream filling the room and he raced the the far side of the house. Tuff and Ruff were helpless with laughter as Snotlout pressed his hand to his chest, trying to calm his breathing and scowling at being made a fool of again.

"You…I'm gonna make you regret that!" he growled, marching back to confront the male twin. "You and your stupid…"

There was a thud and Gothi's staff swung, hitting Snotlout, Ruff and Tuff and stunning all three. She slammed the end of her staff on the ground in a manner that said SHUT UP! in no uncertain terms and then hobbled back to her bed.

"Gothi's right," Heather announced. "Everyone-back to bed. We've got a lot of work in the morning!"

oOo

Trader Johann was surprisingly in port the next morning, his manner as obsequious as ever and expressing deep sympathy at the plight of the dragon rider.

"I cannot believe it," he said in an outraged tone. "Poor Master Hiccup. That those terrible people could hurt him is absolutely scandalous!" Stoick folded his arms and nodded, a scowl twisting his face. He could usually manage a smile for the Trader, who he personally found incredibly annoying and always considered mildly untrustworthy-but he was exhausted and grief-stricken so his patience was eroded.

"We need your help, Johann," he said without preamble.

"My help? What help could I offer to the great Chief?" the Trader asked in surprise. "I am hardly a warrior or a healer…"

"We need to know where Viggo and Krogan are now," Stoick told the Trader. "You have many contacts and trade widely. Someone must have seen them."

"They are very nasty men-and dangerous enemies," Johann replied evasively. "I mean…I have to do business with everyone…and if it became known that I was siding with one Tribe against another…" Stoick growled in his throat and took a menacing pace towards the smaller man.

"Have you heard of Trade Sanctions?" he growled.

"Yes-as two words that should never be said in the same sentence together," Johann snapped back. "Chief Stoick-my life would be in danger if I led you to the Hunters…"

"And it may well be in danger if you don't," Stoick threatened him. The Trader backed up.

"Did-did you just…?" he mumbled as Stoick nodded, his fists cracking as he tightened them.

"My son and Heir is dying and Viggo poisoned him," he growled. "He will have the antidote and if I don't give it to my son in five moons, he will die. And if my only son dies, my rage will know no bounds and anyone who refused to help or hindered my quest to save him will be counted as an ally of the Hunters. And I will use every ounce of my strength to destroy them for their crimes!" Johann's eyes widened.

"When you put it like that…I did hear a rumour of Hunter bases towards Disappointing and maybe a couple down by Loki's Pebbles…" he said hastily as Stoick gave a nod, glancing over to Gobber. The blacksmith ambled forward and wrapped an amiable arm around the unnerved Trader and steered him towards the Great Hall.

"There yer go!" Gobber chatted amiably, leading the Trader away. "Berk looks after her allies and her friends. I think we've got Mrs Ericson's special Yak chops up at the Hall today…" Stoick watched them go and then headed back for his home, thinking hard. Part of him was screaming not to trust Johann but what option did they have? The chances that the Riders would find the antidote were slim at best and he knew that finding Viggo and his Hunters was his son's best chance of survival.

If it wasn't a trap.

oOo

"As-Astrid…?" Hiccup's voice was hoarse and his unbandaged eye bleary as he glanced over at the motionless shape, bowed in the chair. In a second, she was leaning forward, holding his hand and ghosting a kiss on his feverish brow.

"I'm here, Babe," she said quietly, forcing her lips to turn up in a small smile. "How are you?"

"Never better," he lied with a smile-though she could read the fear in his emerald gaze. And then he sighed. "Just tired…" She stroked his forehead tenderly, ruffling his auburn hair off his bruised brow.

"Just rest," she said gently, perching on the edge of the bed but his hand found hers and he squeezed.

"Do you ever think about the future, Astrid?' he asked her suddenly and she frowned slightly, inclining her head as she tried to work out what to say.

"I try not to, since the future will come and I will deal with it when it does," she admitted. "The Norns make their choices and we face the consequences."

"I think about it all the time," he murmured slowly, frowning. "I mean, being Stoick's son and Heir always meant I had to think about the future. I had to imagine what I would be like as a Chief, how I could possibly cope, how I could avoid destroying the village…" She chuckled.

"Maybe up to when you shot Toothless down…but afterwards…no one doubted you," she reminded him. He sighed.

"I worry all the time," he admitted. "More now I have caused hardship to Berk in our fight with the Hunters…and being a Viking is a dangerous occupation…" She smiled and laced her fingers with his, feeling the warmth from his fever.

"And you have a real knack for finding trouble," she said.

"I try not to…" he admitted, "but I couldn't bear if anything happened to you, to my friends if I could have prevented it. I would rather it happened to me…"

"And it has, you muttonhead," she growled, punching his shoulder gently. He yelped.

"Ow! Dying man here!" he protested and then he lay back, closing his eye. "Astrid, I'm sorry."

She stiffened and blinked, staring into his face.

"It wasn't your fault," she assured him, leaning close. She rested her hand against his bruised cheek and felt him press into the loving touch. "We will find the antidote and you'll be back to normal before you can say 'Snotlout'." He sighed.

"I wanted to marry you ever since I was about ten," he managed haltingly. "And my dearest wish was to stand up in front of the village and declare my love and devotion to you. And I will never get to see that day. I will never get to see the daughter and son I prayed we would have together. I am so sorry, Astrid. I'm so sorry…"

"Shh, shh…it's okay…" she said, leaning close and kissing him. A tear slid down his cheek.

"I don't want to die, Astrid," he whispered.

"You won't…" she assured him but he swallowed.

"Astrid, I can feel the poison working," he told her. "Thinking…is a struggle. My head is pounding. My limbs feel numb. Please, let me speak because I am not sure how much longer I will be able to." He blinked. "I love you. I don't want to leave you. But if-if I do…I want you to find someone to make you happy. I want you to live for me, Astrid. And I hope you will look after Toothless…because he won't understand."

"I promise…"

"Mean it," he breathed hoarsely. "Please…"

"You'll be welcomed into Valhalla," she smiled, her eyes shining with tears. He shook his head.

"I'm dying in bed, of a poison, not in battle," he rasped, his voice thick with misery. "I'll never see Dad again…or you. Or Mom…" His voice cracked. "I'm sorry, Astrid." She swiped a tear from her cheeks, forcing her voice to be steady.

"Hiccup-I will never give up on you-because you never gave up on me, when I had the Scourge of Odin and when I went blind," she reminded him. "Gods, I love you, you dork! I love your bravery and your kindness and your concern for others and-and _everything_ about you. So you fight and hang on in there…and I will find a way to stop this thing. I promise, Babe-so you fight for me Hiccup." He swallowed and managed a small nod.

"Could you get Toothless, please?" he asked her softly. "I know you've persuaded him to go out to get some fish but I need to speak to him…" She nodded and he felt her rise from the bed and heard her walk to the door. He blinked and pressed a hand to his face. He guessed that the poison was progressing and he doubted he would have the opportunity to speak again with his betrothed. He was very aware, even with the thick fuzziness in his head from the fever that his body was breaking down fast under the pernicious assault of the poison. He was just glad that she hadn't guessed what the poison had already taken from him.

He had managed the conversation on sound alone and his heart was already breaking that he would never see her beautiful face once more, never stare into those clear blue eyes and see them light with her luminous smile.

He was blind.

**A/N: I am so mean to Hiccup. This is getting dark and will get darker. I know that I am getting mixed thoughts from reviewers about Hiccup's situation-including votes for Hiccup to die. Now, I am not revealing what will happen but for those of you of a nervous disposition, I suggest you take heart from my other stories. I have written 32 stories and killed Hiccup once. I love angst and torturing the characters and I do have a plan for this story which may or may not involve major character death (and definitely bad guy death!). Trust the panther. -hp**


	4. Frost and Fire

**A/N: Apologies-this is a couple of days later than planned.**

**Four: Frost and Fire**

Dawn on Frost Isle almost wasn't worth the effort, a weak orange glow on the horizon amid the few snowflakes swirling around in the ceaseless winds. It was almost as cold as it had been at night and the Riders were thankful for the the fire they had maintained and the warmth of their dragons. Heather took charge, cooking a swift warming breakfast and helping the others try to wake Snotlout. In the end, Gothi had jabbed the stocky rider with her staff until he sat up, furious and in pain.

"I'm gonna kill you!" he yelled. "How dare you wake me and…" And then he looked up into the faces of all the other Riders, less than impressed that he was holding up the mission with his laziness while their friend and leader was dying. "And…is that the time?"

"Get dressed!" Heather growled. "It's another dawn. Hiccup only has five days and we have to find that antidote today or we may not have enough time to collect the ingredients to make the cure!" Stumbling to his feet, Snotlout grumbled as he rolled up his blanket, muttering something that sounded suspiciously like 'stupid Hiccup' which no one believed he actually meant.

The settlement was unlike most normal Viking settlements and in the weak morning light, the stone buildings were half-buried, each solid house blocky and uniform. There were no dragon's-head decorations, no curved roofs or protective runes. As the Riders walked through the streets, Fishlegs was wide-eyed and intent on finding the Archives while the twins were wondering where the Armoury was. Heather paused, her green eyes scanning the settlement and saw one roof rising above the others.

"There!" she said as Fishlegs turned to see her. He glanced down at the map in his hand.

"That looks like it!" he admitted and headed out in the direction. They tramped through the snowdrifts, up the shallow slope to the sturdy and impressive grey stone hall that was the former AllThing of the Vikings of the Archipelago and the Archives of Frost Isle. Snotlout folded his arms under his black wolf fur cloak.

"Now that's more like it," he commented. "I could just about live in a house like this…" Heather peered at the door.

"Someone's been in-fairly recently," she noted and everyone was instantly on alert. There were the scrapes and clangs of various weapons being drawn but she rolled her eyes. "Not that recently, muttonheads," she sighed. "The snow is deep and the doors are iced closed."

"Makes sense," Fishlegs commented. "Because Viggo must have come here to find the recipe for the Wine of Hela." Gothic shrugged and scraped a few symbols in the snow. "Oh. Gothi says…she hopes that he's left the document behind with the cure."

"Only one way to find out," Heather commented and pushed the door open. A huge waft of must rolled over them and they peered into the clammy darkness, seeing vague shapes outline by the weak light filtering through the clouds that had rolled in.

"Bleugh! Smells like it would suit Snotlout," Ruff commented. Tuff nodded.

"Definitely not suitable for a chicken," he added.

"Good thing you left her on the Edge then," Ruff shot back. He sighed.

"She's be a frozen chicken anyway if she was here," he admitted. Heather growled in her throat and pushed past, grabbing a torch from the sconce. She glanced at Windshear and the Razorwhip lit the torch, the flames warming her grim face. Fearlessly, she waked into the gloom, followed by Gothi and Fishlegs. There was a pause as Snotlout peered into the gloom.

"Aren't you going in?" Ruff asked him and he gave a false little laugh.

"Someone needs to guard the entrance," he said quickly. "Right, Hookie?" There was a less than enthusiastic grumble from he Monstrous Nightmare. "I mean, what if those Fliers come back?" The twins shrugged.

"At least it would be more interesting," Tuff confessed. "I wonder where the Armoury is…" Ruff winked.

"Looking at Fishlegs's map-I would say…that way," she commented pointing west. There was a pause.

"Really?" Tuff asked. She handed over the map, which she had picked from his belt pouch.

"Check for yourself," she challenged her brother and he peered at the symbols.

"That way it is!" he grinned and set out happily. Snotlout stared at them.

"You muttonheads can run off all you want," he scoffed. "I'll just stay here…keep watch…and avoid the boring looking through smelly old scrolls…" Ruff eyed him suspiciously.

"Stay awake!" she told him as he settled down sitting with his back against Hookfang and his hands resting casually behind his head.

"Me? You don't have to worry! My eyes are as alert as a Gronckle at a granite party!" he sneered.

"Is that even a thing?" Tuff sniggered.

"It may be for a Gronckle," Snotlout replied defensively. "And who knows what Fish gets up to in his rock garden…?"

"A worthy point," Tuff mused. "What say you, sister mine?"

"I say…it sounds as bogus as Snotlout actually offering to do some work!" she scorned and stomped off. Tuff leered at the stocky rider.

"I tend to agree," he chuckled. "We're off in search of some awesome ancient weapons because rumour has it, they were blessed by the Gods and have some completely supernatural powers!" Suddenly Snotlout sat up straight.

"What?" he protested. "Why did no one tell me that?" Tuff chuckled.

"I think you were asleep when we were talking!" he yelled as he ran off. Snotlout scrambled to his feet.

"Hookie-stay and watch the door!" he ordered the Monstrous Nightmare as he ran off after the twins.

oOo

inside the Archives, Fishlegs and Heather cautiously led the way, with Gothi following, her face screwed up as she peered at the ancient runes inscribed in the walls and on the stone shelves where the Archives were resting. Cobwebs matted above the shelves and over the scrolls and dust was thick on everything-but Heather noted the blurred marks of footsteps in the thick covering of dust and debris. Pointing with her torch, she carefully followed the trail towards the back and the row of shelves marked as 'Scrolls of the Gothi'.

Fishlegs turned and stared at the wizened old woman, realising now that her name was an Ancient term for the healers, shamen and mystics who guided the Viking Tribes. He had always known her as Gothi-as had his parents. In fact everyone in the Tribe knew her as Gothi…but maybe that was a name conferred on her when she became the Tribe's Healer and wise-woman? Ignoring the scrutiny, the woman leaned on her staff and limped forward until she reached the shelf, a crooked fingers sliding along the runes with an almost-loving gesture. And then she turned to her helpers and began to scratch in the dust on the floor. Automatically, Fishlegs translated.

"What lies in these scrolls is secret-but Hiccup needs the knowledge. Seek for reference to the Wine of Hela-but of the scroll does not contain that information, close and replace. Please respect the secrets of my forbears." Heather nodded as Fishlegs finished speaking and each chose a shelf, then began the search.

oOo

Loki's Pebbles were a small group of rocky islands halfway to the Edge but rather more northerly than the direct route that barely featured on any respectable maps. Home to a few yaks and goats, there were no permanent settlements-which made them ideal bases for the Dragon Hunters. The islands looked like misshapen lumps of wet rock, devoid of any trees or shrubs and decorated only by moss, lichens, a few brave ferns and grasses and pools and small rills that dived down the precipitous sides into the hungry seas below.

They also provided no opportunity for a Dragon Rider to sneak in low or land and walk round-but Astrid came in high through the clouds and scouted the base, seeing only a single ship and a small selection of Hunters, none of whom looked to be especially organised or efficient. There were no signs of the Fliers so she swooped down and attacked, sending a volley of spines at the men manning the catapults and driving them away. Swooping down, she slammed Stormily's flames into and collapsed the main mast on the lone vessel before she leapt down, disarming the couple of men who put up resistance…and then she cornered the few Hunters and advanced on them, with her Nadder standing hissing behind her, the spines on her tail raised and menacing.

"There ain't no dragons here," the leading man said. "Hunting's been bad and it's been hard with the Grimborns gone…" Astrid growled in her throat and raised her axe as she advanced.

"Viggo Grimborn is alive," she growled. "Where is he?" The man shook his head, his eyes defiant.

"I don't know," he protested. "We just follow orders…"

"So who gives the orders?" she demanded. The man sneered.

"They're delivered and we collect them at the Northern Markets…" he said.

"Liar!" she snapped. "Where is Viggo? Where is his base?"

The man shook his head.

"I wouldn't help you if I knew, Dragon-Riding scum!" he spat. There was a thunk and her axe buried in his chest. She wrenched it out and watched the corpse fall, turning to the next man, who was pale and standing aghast because they all knew that the Dragon Riders avoided killing.

"Anyone else want to be unhelpful?" she snarled. There was a general shaking of heads as she grabbed the next man by the throat.

"Viggo. Grimborn. WHERE?" she screamed as the man trembled and felt her eyes bore into him fiercely.

"I-I may have an idea…" he whimpered.

oOo

Fishlegs could have spent a good month in the Archives, for every scroll he opened was fascinating, documenting lore and medicine and even some tasty recipes that he found himself memorising to try later. But always, his mind was running over the predicament of his best friend and every time he opened a new scroll, his eyes scanned the runes and disappointment and a rising sense of panic ran through him. Because the answer wasn't here.

As he approached the end of his allotted shelf, he glanced up, seeing Gothi reading carefully each scroll and clearly mentally making notes while Heather was skimming for the relevant words-but their shoulders were as slumped and expressions as dejected as he felt. He reached the end of his shelf and rolled up the last scroll, which explained how to cure Eel Pox. He had skimmed the familiar recipe and was pleased to note that he still recalled the cure perfectly before sighing.

"Nothing?" Heather asked, placing her last scroll back and he shook his head.

"I guess it just isn't here-or there isn't a cure…" he sighed.

Gothi's staff prodded his shoulder and the old woman squinted up at him, scratching a few symbols in the dust.

"She says the cure is here-but not on these shelves," he read and sighed. "But where would they be?" Gothi paused-and then pointed to the footsteps in the dust, obvious even though they themselves were partly covered in dust. Heather sighed.

"I wonder where we're going next?" she asked-as an explosion sounded and the whole building rocked. Both riders shared a look and then glanced down at Gothi.

"Fliers!" Heather guessed and looked over at the other two. "Fishlegs-keep looking with Gothi! We have to find that cure for Hiccup!" The husky rider nodded as Heather dragged her hood up over her head and ran for the doors as another explosion sounded and a faint trail of dust sifted down from the roof. Fishlegs watched her for a second then turned, his eyes scanning the faint shapes of steps in the dust as he raced off after the old woman, who had vanished into the gloom.

Heather erupted through the doors and saw five fliers circling, their red, yellow and green Singetails roaring as they swept round for another strafing run. Whistling, Heather saw Windshear gallop towards her, the Razorwhip's green eyes narrowed with anger at the other dragons. Leaping into the saddle and gripping her saddle, Heather urged the dragon up and flipped round, arrowing directly at the leader. The man leered behind his facepaint and mask and dived sideways, narrowing missing the spines Windshear fired at him. Barrel-rolling, the silver dragon sideswiped a a Flier off a yellow Singetail. He screamed as he fell and a colleague dived down to save him as the Singetail determinedly flew off into the grey sky, roaring in delight at its freedom. But the others closed on her and Heather found herself outnumbered and being chased for her life.

Leaning low over Windshear's neck, she glanced over her shoulder and scowled.

"Thor help me," she muttered. "And where are those muttonheads?"

oOo

It had taken Barf and Belch about ten minutes to dig out the Armoury, with Ruff and Tuff bouncing up and down with anticipation. For all they knew, the building could be empty and, to Snotlout's mind, probably was. If you ere to abandon a settlement, you would hardly abandon precious resources like weapons unless you had to leave in a desperate hurry, right?

_So why did they leave the scrolls, rather than leave them somewhere easier to get to?_

He folded his arms and watched the twins and their dragon all use their heads like bludgeons to force the doors open. There was a waft of musty air and the stocky rider adjusted his helmet.

"Okay, Hookie-lets show these muttonheads that there's nothing worth losing sleep over in this place," he grumbled and the Monstrous Nightmare gave a rumble that sounded very much in agreement before flaming up and inching towards the open door that the twins had already run through. Snotlout skirted him and peered smugly into the gloom-and then he gaped.

Rows upon rows of weapons faced them. Axes, maces, swords and spears, catapults and other siege weapons. Most were rusty and in need of a polish-but it was clear they were extremely well-made and superior weapons. The twins high-fived.

"Result" Tuff whooped. "Look at all that stuff. We can take some of this back and when we clean it up, we can sell this for a fortune!" Snotlout's eyes gleamed as he lifted an ornate and very heavy sword.

"Yes, we can," he added as the twins turned to stare at him.

"I thought you weren't interested," Ruff pointed out.

"I wasn't-until I heard the weapons were blessed by the Gods and awesome!" Snotlout argued. "And Hookfang will be able to double the number of weapons you take back to Berk…" Tuff glanced over at his sister and winked.

"That's true," he said thoughtfully. "So maybe we can share our bounty with Snot…"

"But he'll need to really pull his weight in taking the weapons back," Ruff added snarkily as the other Rider gathered a wickedly sharp and still shiny double-headed axe.

"Oh…my…Thor…" Snotlout muttered. "This is a weapon worthy of a Chief…"

"So that means you should put it back, Snot," Ruff chuckled but Tuff was frozen, his jaw dropped as he stared at a magnificent catapult.

"Oh…my…Thor…I think I may have to ask Macey if she minds sharing me…" he mumbled as Ruff followed his gaze and rolled her eyes.

"We'll never get Barf'n'Belch to carry that!" she told him bluntly.

"We can try, you jealous hussy!" Tuff snapped. "Odin, she's magnificent…" Ruff groaned.

"Snot-start carrying the best looking and best condition weapons outside so we can decide what we're taking," she ordered as she dragged her twin back from the catapult and started to sort through the weapons.

Somehow, the catapult had pride of place in their pile of loot when an explosion sounded and the trio guiltily looked up as a quintet of Fliers zoomed overhead.

"Oops," Tuff commented, lovingly stroking the catapult. Snotlout swore as he saw what they had attacked.

"That's the Archives!" he choked, dropping his weapons and running towards Hookfang. When there was no acknowledgement he stopped and looked at the twins. "You know-where Fishlegs, Heather and Gothi are?" he added sarcastically. Another explosion sounded.

"We knew that," Tuff told him.

"And Hiccup will die if we don't get that are!" Snotlout yelled. "You muttonheads-we can't allow them to destroy the Archives and the recipes for the antivenom!" As they were arguing, the silver shape of Windshear arrowed into the air and attacked.

"There you are-Heather has everything under control," Tuff explained as Snotlout saw the Fliers close in on her.

"Really?" he snarked. "You may wanna look again…" And Hookfang took off, his Rider urging him forward and blasting hard at the nearest Flier to gain Heather some leeway. They flipped round in a tight loop and fired again, managing to blindside the Flier and slam it sideways, spoiling the Singetail's aim at the Razorwhip. They ducked a ferocious Singetail blast and Snotlout winced as he realised his helmet was on fire…again.

"Thor, I wish Hiccup was here," he muttered.

An enormous noise echoed across the desolate landscape and a trio of builders slammed into the nearest two Singetails, snapping a wing on each. The cries of the dragons were pitiful and through his anger at the battle, Snotlout recalled that it wasn't the dragons' faults that they were used for the Fliers's evil. Then the noise sounded again and he stared as the twins whooped as another couple of missiles arched through the air, catching the nearest Singetail and glancing against Hookfang. The much larger dragon lost its second left wing and dropped from the sky as Hookfang spun away. But the Singetail was downed and it crashed with a slam straight onto the Archives.

Heather swooped round and looked at the crashed dragon, the unmoving Flier and the partially collapsed building.

"Thor," she murmured. "How did this happen?"

oOo

"D-Dad?" Hiccup's voice was hoarse, barely a whisper but there was a creak to his right and his father leaned close.

"Son?" Stoick's voice was rough as well, the warm burr gentle. "I'm here." Hiccup's brow furrowed, the flush from the fever warming his pallid skin.

"Can't see you," he admitted roughly as Stoick leaned closer.

"Hiccup?"

"I can't see," the young Rider repeated, hearing the sharp intake of breath from his father. There was a creak and a large, warm hand enclosed his, tenderly letting the patient know that the Chief was with him.

"When?" Stoick's voice was starting to crack, looking into his son's clear emerald eyes and seeing them slightly unfocussed. Hiccup have a weak cough.

"Before Astrid left," he admitted. "I-I didn't want her to know, didn't want to hear any more pity in her voice…"

"Oh son…"

"I-I always wanted you to be proud of me, Dad…and I'm sorry…"

"There's no need…" Hiccup grasped his father's hand and inclined his face to look towards the sound of his father's voice.

"I'm sorry I lost Berk's gold. I'm sorry I let our people suffer. I'm sorry I risked our people in my fight against the Hunters. I'm sorry I wasn't the son you wanted…" Huge arms wrapped around the young man, feeling his feverish shape snuggle against the Chief's powerful shape.

"Hiccup…son…I could not be more proud of the warrior, the man that you have become," Stoick said gently, stroking Hiccup's wild hair off his face. The young warrior's eyes closed and he snuggled into his father's chest, feeling like he had when he was a small child. "I should be apologising. I didn't support you, treat you as well as I should when you were younger. I imagined that I wanted a brawny, rock-headed Viking like my brother and nephew…when I should have realised that Val and I would produce a child who was a stubborn as us both and who would never give up, no matter what."

"Thanks…I think…" Hiccup murmured.

"We're family…peers…fellow Chiefs…" Stoick reminded him gently. "Astrid has gone, following a lead from Johann to try to get that antidote from Viggo. And the other Riders are in Frost Isle with Gothi, locating the recipe to make the antidote. No one has given up."

"I'm…scared, Dad," Hiccup mumbled slowly, his head burrowing against the Chief's chest. "I-I don't want to die. I don't want to let you and the Tribe down…" Stoick kissed his son's head.

"It won't come to that," he reassured his son. "Your friends are crazy but determined as well. They'll get that medicine. And your lass will move mountains to save you." Hiccup managed the faintest smile.

"Yeah…I have given up arguing with Astrid…" he admitted. "I really love her, Dad. And I so wanted to marry her, to spend the rest of my life with her…but I don't think I'll ever see her again…"

"I'm sure it won't come to that…" Stoick said reassuringly.

"Dad…I'm blind and even if they stop the poison, will I ever regain my sight?" the young man murmured slowly. "My limbs feel numb and I can't feel my legs at all. It's very difficult to stay awake. I-I don't know if any of this can be reversed. Even if I survive, what will I have left?" He swallowed. "Viggo will know we're going after the cure. He will lay an ambush at Frost Isle. he will send men to destroy or steal the components of the medicine. He won't hand over the antidote to Astrid."

"Your betrothed is very persuasive," Stoick reminded him as the leathery sound of Toothless came closer, a gentle warble sounding. Hiccup smiled, extending his hand and feeling the warm muzzle press into his palm.

"Tell her I love her-please?' he murmured.

"You tell her yourself-when you recover, son," the Chief assured him, feeling his son relax against him.

"Love you too," Hiccup breathed, his body relaxing. "And love you,bud…" Stoick felt his son's body go limp, the breathing shallow as he slept and he closed his eyes.

"We'll stay with him, Toothless," he vowed. "But if we lose him, we'll join Astrid in killing every last Hunter."

oOo

Stormfly was flying impossibly fast, as if sensing her Rider's urgency as they skimmed the surface of the sea. The Hunters had volunteered the information that Viggo may have a secret base in Midnight Straits and-after a little persuasion-agreed he was likely to be hiding there with Krogan, his new partner. They were also exceptionally eager to explain that they were looking for DragonEye lenses and promise they were all taking up new careers as fishermen.

Astrid was almost lying flat over Stormfly's neck, wearing a jacket and hood against the vicious wind, her eyes narrowed. The location was not that far off the familiar seaways but tucked amid a dangerous group of islands riven by treacherous currents and channels. Collectively known as Disappointing, they were individually known as Snivelling, Aching, Whinging, Whining, Muttering, Coughing and Too Too Small and astonishingly, Astrid realised that Hiccup had shown them to her on his map of the Archipelago. Sometime while she was practising and perfecting her aerial combat and axe skills, Hiccup had sneaked off and mapped everywhere that they knew and a load more places besides. And as she flew, she kicked herself, for she had wasted time when she could have been with him, savouring the banter with the amazing, kind and curious man he was rather than muttering because he didn't seem to have a plan like she did for her life. And now she realised: he was an explorer, a man whose incessant desire to know things he didn't, to visit news places and meet new people and new dragons.

And now all of that promise, that gentle curiosity was dying-because of the vicious spite and cruelty of Viggo and Krogan.

Astrid thought she had hated dragons when they had been the enemy, when they had ravaged the village, destroyed home and stole food and killed people…but they were just animals, attacking because they had to. Now she knew what hatred was, acid throbbing through her veins at the thought of Viggo torturing Hiccup, at the thought of her beloved screaming in pain or defying the man at such terrible personal cost. And of Viggo forcing Hiccup's mouth open and forcing the Wine of Hela down his throat. And knowing that even when his friends rescued him, they would still lose.

And then the shapes coalesced from the haze and Astrid felt her body tense, feeling Stormfly slow slightly.

"It's okay, girl-we're ready," she murmured as they arrowed between Whinging and Whining and zipped past Too Too Small and headed for the jagged shape of Coughing. She hugged the coastline-and as they rounded a small point, the shapes of Hunter ships appeared-along with a hail of arrows. The Nadder flipped and unleashed a blast of her Magnesium-bright fire that vaporised the arrows as they blasted down, taking out the sails and sinking the Hunter vessel at the mouth of the narrow harbour. Circling, she blasted the two ballistas covering the camp and then dived straight down at the tent and landed on two Hunters, Stormfly's claws digging deep into their bodies.

She was off the instant they landed, her axe swinging round to take out the next man. She knew there would be a small window to get Viggo so as she cut the man down and Stormfly hissed and spun, her tail spines raised. Astrid nudged the flap of the tent, ducked back as a couple of crossbow bolts waffled through where she would have entered and then dived in, rolling and swinging her axe to take out the two Hunters waiting

"I must congratulate you," said Viggo. "That was worthy of Hiccup himself." Growling in her throat, Astrid bounced to her feet, her axe raised. But Viggo raised a hand sharply, his horribly scarred face pulling as he frowned. "Stay back," he ordered her.

And then she froze-for under his foot was a small flask that she was certain contained the antidote. He smirked at her expression.

"One more step and your precious Hiccup will certainly die."


	5. Hope Extinguished

**Five: Hope Extinguished**

Fishlegs Ingerman was not an especially religious man. He observed the Gods, as all Vikings did and observed the usual superstitions that everyone in the village acknowledged. He wasn't a naturally forceful man though he was brave in his own way and had seen things in his short life that many seasoned raiders could never have believed. But he had been praying with all his might when the explosion sounded and the stone roof of the Hall creaked and then promptly collapsed.

Time had slowed for him and as he saw the cracks tearing through the roof, edged with the fire of the Singetail attack, he had sprung into action, grabbing Gothi and flinging himself forward, towards the back of the Hall and the little shelter that was on offer. Then there had just been the cacophony of falling masonry, the snap of the huge timbers even a dragon would have had difficulty breaking and an eruption of dust. And then silence.

Blinking, Fishlegs realised that he wasn't blind, he wasn't dead and the dust was thinning as the faintest of air currents allowed the smog to settle. A little light filtered though the gaps between the stones and he could still see the steps of the person who had been here before, carved into the dust, though their forms were blurring as the new dust from the collapse began to settle. Achingly, he got up and was immediately whacked in the head by Gothi, who seemed immensely irritated that she had been squashed by the husky rider as he had thrown her away from the collapse. A mere foot behind him, the roof lay flush with the floor and anyone who had been there would have been crushed into oblivion. Staring at the closeness of her escape, the Elder levered herself up with her staff and scrambled awkwardly in the tiny space to the shelves that were still just about visible. She looked at Fishlegs and beckoned and he slowly followed.

"Ow," he murmured as he glanced at the new area. This was much less packed than the Elders' shelves and the areas were sectioned off, symbols carved into the stone shelves that Fishlegs realised were the crests of the new Tribes. He ran a grubby finger over the carvings, still crisp after the centuries and then looked around. Facing him was a symbol of a dragon impaled on a sword-the old sign for Berk before the War had ended and he immediately grabbed all the scrolls and stuffed them in his satchel, realising that he could inspect them later-and hand them back to the Chief, who would surely want to guard these precious relics. But next to them was another portion of shelf with a dragon doubly impaled: the Hunter Tribe. And though there were only a handful of scrolls and one that looked very different to the other, more simple rolls of parchment.

With a trembling hand, Fishlegs lifted the odd scroll out and looked at it: it was longer than the other scrolls and like the ones they had inspected earlier, it was tied with cords of leather dyed in red and blue, the ends finished with love and care. He carefully opened it and stared at the recipe for the Wine of Hell-and the antidote.

"Thank you, Freya," he murmured. "Now all I need to do is get out of here and find all of these things before it's too late to save my best friend..."

Suddenly there was a roar and explosions and then a thud. And a rapid, urgently scraping that told him one thing. Stuffing the precious scroll very carefully into his satchel, he looked at the pile of rubble, his face lit by a sudden hopeful grin.

"Meatlug!" he squeaked. "That's it-come to Daddy!"

oOo

"You complete muttonheads!" Heather yelled as she circled the collapsed Hall, trying to see where the two Riders could have possibly survived. "Can't you even follow the simplest orders?"

"I think, my dear Heather, we have already determined that we cannot," Tuff said in a superior voice. "Our capabilities in complying with even the most basic instruction are tenuous as best."

"Look, we stopped the Fliers," Snotlout told her obviously as he finished tying up the unconscious Fliers. "I mean...BAM! That was an awesome take-down!"

"And you may have crushed Fishlegs and Gothi who were Hiccup's last hope," Heather growled at them through her teeth. There was a sober moment and then Snotlout pointed at the twins.

"It was their fault!" he protested. "They said the Armoury would be full of awesome weapons...and it was..."

"Totally awesome," Ruff agreed as Heather rolled her eyes.

"You knew there was a real chance that Viggo would send the Fliers to stop us-and your job-your _only_ job-was to watch out for them and keep them away while we found the cure for Hiccup!" she snapped. "Instead, you muttonheads completely abandon your posts, only notice when we're being attacked and then actually cause more damage than the Fliers!"

"It sounds so bad when you put it like that," Ruff protested. "And it wasn't really..."

"Oh? How?" Heather snapped.

"We did bring them down!" Tuff volunteered. "With the gassiest dragon in the Archipelago..."

"And we do have some amazing weapons we can use..." Snotlout brought up, glancing at the ruins of the Hall. Though he wasn't often prone to introspection, there was a generous part of him that was kicking himself for his stupidity in allowing himself to get caught up in the excitement of finding some new weapons to investigate. And though he knew that would be what his Dad would have done, a part of him wanted to be the person Hiccup expected him to be, rather than the rock-headed, selfish and stupid son Spitelout had created.

"And what use are they if Hiccup dies?" Heather asked. But for once, Snotlout had an answer.

"We use them to destroy Viggo," he said simply. Ruff was staring at the ruins as Tuff continued to talk in a squeaky voice to a particularly fine two headed axe.

"What is Meatlug doing?" she asked. "And Gothi's Gronckle, for that matter?"

All four Riders turned to see the two dragons burrowing furiously, completely intent on their tasks. Meatlug was looking fierce and they ducked as a chunk of stone flew past their heads. Gothi's Gronckle-if she had ever named him, no one knew because she didn't speak-chewed a chunk of the rock thoughtfully and continued to burrow alongside Meatlug. And then they heard the shout.

"They're alive!" Heather gasped in relief and then glared at the others. "Don't just stand there-help them!"

"Who put you in charge?" Snotlout grumbled.

"Astrid," Heather reminded her smugly. "You wanna argue with her when we get back?" There was a second of silence and then all three and their dragons surged forward to help lift the unconscious Singetail off the wreckage and then dig out their friends. But Meatlug had already broken through and head-butted the last chunk aside-to reveal the grimy but relieved shape of Fishlegs with Gothi standing behind him, leaning on her staff. Carefully, the Riders helped the two Vikings free and Fishlegs hugged Meatlug happily before Heather hugged him.

"Oh, thank Thor," Fishlegs exclaimed as the Razorwhip Rider peered at the collapsed Hall.

"I guess that's it for our chances of finding the antidote," she said sombrely but the husky rider grinned.

"Not quite," he said smugly. "Viggo was here-and he hid the scroll...among those of the Hunter Tribe..." And then suddenly everyone was hugging Fishlegs or clapping him on the shoulder and even the dragons seemed happy.

"Now all we have to do is find the ingredients and bingo! Hiccup's saved!" Snotlout said in a relieved voice. Gothi slammed her staff on the floor and began to scratch in the snow.

"She says it may not be that simple," Fishlegs read. "Oh. OH! It depends what the ingredients are, doesn't it?" The Elder nodded and the Riders watched as he unscrolled the parchment and peered at the runes.

"First we have the recipe for the Wine of Hela...Scauldron, boiled Slitherwing poison, Changewing and Hemlock..." he read. "Ah...the antidote."

"Go ahead," Heather urged him.

"Yellow bitterweed flower, purple Oleader in a two to one ratio, the green saliva of a Buffalord, Night Fury Saliva, Goat grass, Bruise fruit."

"That's it?" Snotlout asked and the husky rider nodded, his eyes scanning the list again.

"There are more details of where to find them and of course, how to make up the potion but...yeah," he said. There was a pause.

"I have heard of...some of those..." Tuff began cautiously.

"Oh yeah? Which ones?" his sister challenged him.

"Night Fury Saliva," he replied. "I mean T drools on everyone, right?"

"Which would be how Viggo got some-from when he captured Hiccup in the past," Heather mused. "I mean, we've all heard Hiccup telling us that Night Fury saliva has amazing healing properties...surely the Dragon Hunters must know that as well..."

"At least we know where the Buffalord is-though the saliva evaporates very easily..." Ruff commented. Gothi nodded and scratched a few symbols in the snow.

"She can provide a container that will keep it inside," Fishlegs read. "And Hiccup told me where to get the Oleader and Bitterweed for the Dragon Root cure."

"Goat Grass is on Healers' Island," Tuff piped up unexpectedly. "It's very itchy when you put it in your pants..."

"Please tell me we don't have to feed poor Hiccup something that's been in your pants?" Heather groaned. "I mean, we don't want to poison..." And then she paused as the twin hauled out a handful of the herb.

"Maybe-but it would save us a long flight," he commented. "Look-my unawesome sister and I are very susceptible to Eel Pox so we keep most of the ingredient for the cure on or around our persons just in case we need them."

"Even the Eel?" Snotlout asked sarcastically. Ruffnut promptly retrieved a dried and wizened piece of fish from under his helmet. Everyone gagged.

"Yup!" the male twin replied smugly. Snotlout gagged loudly.

"Put it away!" he choked. Ruff grinned and stowed the dried eel smugly.

"Okay-can you give the Goat Grass to Gothi please Tuff?" Heather decided. "I can get to collect the items from the DragonRoot Antidote while Snot and the twins can collect the Buffalord saliva…"

"Hey! Why do I get drool?" Snotlout protested.

"Because you deserted your post and almost got Gothi and Fishlegs killed," Ruff told him with a grin.

"So did you!" the stocky rider accused her. She shrugged.

"I know," she said. "But Hiccup is my friend. He has literally come through for us so many times. And Tuff and I will do whatever it takes to try to save him…"

"Fishlegs-can you find the Bruise Fruit?" Heather continued and he nodded.

"Gothi-will you be heading home to prepared the potion?" Fishlegs continued and the old woman nodded, snatching the Goat Grass and fumbling in her bag, pushing a polished metal flask into his hands. The purplish sheen and beautiful finish told Fishlegs that this had been made by Hiccup specifically for the Elder at some point in the past. He nodded and handed her the scroll: she swiftly read the scroll before handing it back and turning to her Gronckle. In a moment, she had taken off and was speeding south towards Berk. Fishlegs stared after her into the frigid grey sky, the snow flurrying around them.

"We need to hurry," he sighed, tucking the scroll into his bag and turning towards Meatlug. "Every moment is one less that Hiccup has to live."

oOo

Astrid's knuckles tightened on the axe as she stared at the hated shape of Viggo, her eyes fixed on his mutilated face.

"And you die the following instant," she said. Viggo chuckled.

"You realise you are infinitely predictable, Astrid?" he touted her. "You are an archetypal Viking warrior, clinging to violence and revenge, defaulting to anger and riposte rather than thinking about what the game is this time…"

"THIS ISN'T A GAME!" she shouted, her eyes narrowing.

"Oh, but it is," Viggo reminded her, his smile widening a fraction, though his eyes were mocking. "It is still a game, my dear. It's just the parameters have shifted…" Astrid growled in her throat.

"So murdering Hiccup is just a 'shifted parameter'?" she snapped. Viggo tutted.

"You know, he is the most infuriatingly stubborn young man I have ever encountered?" he asked her conversationally. "No matter what we tried to force him to comply, he endured. And he really isn't an especially impressive specimen…but he more than makes up for it. It's a shame-because I would have enjoyed him toiling as my slave…"

"And yet you chose the cowardice of poisoning him," Astrid spat. "Surely you knew you would never find the lenses if he died?"

"Again, you assume I have an ounce of care for his wellbeing," he told her pityingly. "His capture was an opportunity to save time, since Krogan's contact is becoming impatient with the delays…but ultimately, if we can explain that the enemy who was thwarting our efforts is now dead, I am certain that he will be satisfied."

"Viggo-Hiccup helped you," Astrid reminded him. "He gave you his trust-and you repaid him by trying to kill me!" Viggo scowled.

"In the end, he tricked me," the Hunter said in a dark voice. "He threw the DragonEye into the volcano and allowed me to fall…" Astrid's eyes narrowed.

"Your treachery deserved everything you got!" she spat.

"And now he deserves what he will get," Viggo sneered. "How far along is he? Blind? Paralysed? Deprived of speech? Or having fits and delusions?"

"I am going to kill you and every one of your Tribe," Astrid growled. Viggo shook his head.

"You are going to be captured and fall as my prisoner," he snapped as she heard steps close. And then she moved, shoving him back and snatching the flask, spinning away with a triumphant look on her face…

…to realise that the flask was very light. Viggo grabbed the identical flask from the desk and gave a triumphant leer before he threw it to the ground, the pot smashing and spilling the greenish fluid on the floor.

"There will be no miraculous escape this time," Viggo exulted.

"NO!" she yelled. "Stormfly!"

The snikt of a spine sounded and Viggo yelled as it sliced through his arm. He stumbled back through the back flap of the tent as the girl dropped to her knees by the spilled fluid.

"Stormfly…burn it all!" she commanded in a dead voice. Slowly, she bent forward and found a shallow piece of the flask, using it to scoop up the greenish fluid and drip it into the empty flask in her hands. The Nadder hissed and flamed, her Magnesium-bright flame slewing through the tent, turning the entire space into an inferno. The flames roared as Astrid painstakingly scooped up every drop of the spilled liquid she could and carefully corked the flask. Then she threw herself into the saddle. She gestured and the Nadder blasted through the roof of the tent, accelerating into the sky, leaving the Hunters shocked.

Numbly, she leaned forward, accelerating to Stormfly's maximum speed and racing away from Viggo. She prayed that she had saved enough of the mixture to spare her love. And as they flew back towards Berk, her mind rolled over and over Viggo's words:

_How far along is he? Blind? Paralysed? Deprived of speech? Or having fits and delusions?_

"I promise I will kill you if he dies," she swore. "I will hunt you to the ends of the earth and if it takes my dying breath, I will slaughter you for this. On Freya, I swear!"

oOo

Hiccup stirred in his sleep, his head throbbing with pain and lights flashing across his black vision. Shapes seemed to be lunging at him and he twitched, then flinched back and cringed.

"No…" he mumbled, thrashing. The images intensified, colours brilliant and searing his eyes. "NO!"

Noises grew closer, steps and the rustling leather sounds of Toothless, along with a little warble, sounded to his right. Desperate, still trembling from his nightmare, Hiccup reached out, his hand moving feebly and finding the leathery nose of his dragon. Toothless nuzzled him urgently as he gave a low moan.

"Son?" Stoick's voice was rough and worried and through the befuddlement of the nightmarish visions-that still hung before his blind eyes, Hiccup moved his head to look towards his father's voice. Stoick's large hands were curiously gentle as he stroked his son's head and lifted him further up his pillows.

"M'fine," Hiccup said…and then he stilled. All that emerged was a garbled noise. "Dad?" he tried though the word was unintelligible.

Stoick shook his head and his voice hitched.

"Son…I-I don't understand…" he said in a stricken tone.

"Please Thor…" Hiccup murmured, hearing his own garbled response and feeling tears of frustration and despair leak down his face. Losing his sight was awful enough but no longer even being able to communicate with his family, with Astrid ripped the last shreds of courage from his pain-wracked shape. Stoick gently pulled the feverish body against him.

"Oh son," he murmured, stroking his son's head tenderly. "I wish I could know what you were saying. I wish Gothi was here. Thor, I wish Astrid was. But she is on her way back, hopefully with the antidote…and then we'll have you as right as rain. But…don't forget…we love you. I love you."

Fighting with all his strength to tighten his hand on Stoick's tunic, Hiccup leaned against his father and remained silent.

 _I love you too, Dad,_ he thought desperately. _I love you, Milady. And I will never say that again either._

oOo

Buffalord Island was remote, flat and grassy and quiet and the large round shapes of three slow-moving Buffalords were slowly chewing on the grass and herbs. Snotlout was tired and fed up of the twins' antics as they swooped slowly down and landed on a low ridge, overlooking the island. The twins paused and then began nudging each other and laughing.

"Will you two shut up?" Snotlout growled as he ducked down by Hookfang and stared at the large, slow-moving dragons. They looked peaceful enough but the Rider could recall just how the dragon had turned when they had tried to take it off the island, blowing up to a huge size, shooting spikes from its thick hide and breathing fire as it thrashed and broke free. It had been strong enough to haul Viggo's largest ship into the air until it was cut free! And though he was probably a bit of a muttonhead some of the time-which was as much as Snotlout was willing to admit-he wasn't keen to risk fighting the dragon. And though they were previously thought to have been all hunted to extinction, Snotlout found himself grateful they weren't.

"Okay-who's going to get the drool?" Tuff asked cheerfully as Snotlout rolled his eyes.

"You get the dragon to the herbs and make sure that saliva is nice and green and I'll get the drool," Snotlout said quickly, his eye narrowing. "And quickly. We saw those Hunter ships closing on the coast and we need this safely secured before they arrive."

"Because though they still exist, Buffalords were hunted almost to extinction," Ruff commented with surprisingly insight. "So though they are awesome, they must be pretty vulnerable if the Hunters just come at them and kill them, rather than trying to take them away…" Tuff nodded and slide down the little slope.

"Then come on, Butt-Elf," he grinned and scanned the ground, finding a large patch of the fragrant green herbs. "Let's get this dragon to have his dinner!"

Snotlout watched, somewhat horrified as the twins capered around, chewing handfuls of the herbs and running up to the Buffalords and waving at them. The green juices were smeared down their chins and the dragons gave a sniff and then one very slowly turned and ambled forward to follow them to the chosen patch and start quietly chewing the herbs. Snotlout weighed the flask in his hands from his hiding place behind a small pile of boulders and inched round so he was out of sight and then sneaked down, going up behind the large dragon and uncorking the flask. Taking a breath against the very strong and fairly unpleasant smell of the dragon, he dived forward and held the flask under the corner of the dragon's jaws as it masticated furiously. Copious amounts of the green, herb-filled drool, sloshed into the flask until it was full, when Snotlout corked the top and them screwed a very tight top on over the cork. He gave a thumbs-up.

And then the first catapult stone landed.

The twins both popped up from where they were sitting companionably by the dragon, also chewing the herbs, and looked startled. Another stone barely missed the dragon and them.

"HUNTERS!" Snotlout yelled as the Riders began to run-and then their dragons swooped in, all looking distressed. As Snotlout threw himself onto Hookfang and glanced down, he could see why: the other two Buffalords were lying dead, surrounded by Hunters who were mercilessly hauling off the carcasses. Barf and Belch swooped round and all three Riders stared at the last Buffalord as it harmlessly chewed the cud.

"What are you waiting for, man?" Tuff yelled. "We gotta get out of here and get this back to Berk!" Staring at the helpless dragon, Snotlout knew what he should be doing…and what Hiccup would want him to do. Even when Astrid's life was at stake from the Scourge of Odin, the auburn-haired rider had not wanted to harm or risk the dragon and had made a deal with Viggo to keep the dragon alive.

"We can't let them kill it!" he shouted.

"But H…" Tuff protested.

"Yeah-I thought we needed to get the saliva back to Gothi?" Ruff yelled. Snotlout made a growling noise in his throat.

"You know Hiccup would want us to save this dragon! Even at the cost of his life. Because he is a complete muttonhead!" he shouted. "Look-you guys get the drool back and I'll fight them!" There was a pause as the twins shared a look.

"Snot-your dragon is much faster," Ruff said. "You go-we'll look after chubby here!" Snotlout gritted his teeth.

"No, I…" he began.

"GO!" Tuff insisted, his voice suddenly serious. "We've got this." And he paused. "But if you want to blow some stuff up on your way out, feel free…" Nodding, Snotlout made sure the flask was secure and leaned forward on his dragon.

"Okay, Hookie-let's see how many of these murderers we take down!" he said darkly as the Monstrous Nightmare rumbled and flamed up. With a yell, Snotlout swooped round and blasted straight at the Hunters, seeing the ferocious flames enswathe the men, their screams floating up as Snotlout gave a grim smile.

"This is for you, cuz," he murmured.

oOo

Fishlegs saw the island of Ecchymosis with no small relief. Meatlug was not the fastest dragon-though she was the loveliest, in his opinion-and she as exhausted by the long flight down from Frost Isle. Ecchymosis was small and blobby in shape with gentle undulations and purplish brown rocks. There were a few small stunted trees and lost of shrubbery…but only a small area on the island where the plants that grew the 'Bruise Fruit'. Fishlegs was only diving down towards the foggy landmass when he saw the ships.

"Hunters," he breathed and directed the exhausted Gronckle to hide amid the rocks. Clambering off and hunkering down, the husky rider peered through the thin skeins of mist as he saw a large group of Hunters walking jauntily and confidently through the bushes back towards their ship.

"I'd like to see them use those fruit now!" one sneered and Fishlegs felt a sudden shiver of anxiety thrill through him. He waited until the Hunters had vanished down the slope and then sprinted in the direction they had come, seeing a plume of smoke rising into the foggy sky. Sniffing the familiar scent of flames, he burst over the ridge to find an area where the bushes were ripped to pieces and burning fiercely. A few scattered leaves were blowing in the wind and smushed fruit were ground into the mossy turf. But there were no bushes or fruit left at all. Fishlegs dropped to a crouch and stared at the scene.

"I'm sorry," he whispered. "I'm sorry, Hiccup. I've failed you."


	6. Decisions

**Six: Decisions**

Berk rose ahead, jagged and familiar, the flames in the mouths of the giant stone Harbour Guards bright against the dusk. Stormfly gave a roar and it was answered by the A-Team Rider on patrol as she skimmed the waves and them began to rise up to fly over the cliffs and up the village to land outside the Chief's House. Not stopping to do anything except thank her dragon and hug her warmly, Astrid carefully turned and walked into the House.

The Chief and Gobber were sitting bowed by Hiccup's bed, both looking broken, though they glanced up as she entered. Stoick forced a small smile onto his weary face and beckoned her close. Carefully, she walked forward, the flask balanced gently in her hands.

"I'm sorry it took so long, sir," she said as her eyes trailed over the limp shape. Hiccup's face was flushed, his brow furrowed and his eyes closed. His dishevelled auburn hair was plastered over his forehead in sweaty tendrils, his eyes deeply shadowed so they almost appeared bruised. He looked thinner-though he hadn't been the most substantial Viking to start with and Astrid felt her heart shudder at the sight. He looked sick and weak, so unlike the stubborn, wiry, determined man she knew. Stoick gave a sigh.

"Aye-well he's been getting worse, lass," he murmured, a broken edge to his words. Hiccup was his only son, a young man the Chief still felt he had misvalued and ill-treated until the boy had proved himself spectacularly. Of course, Hiccup had never been big and buff, never been the mini-Stoick that the Chief had probably envisaged but he had grown to respect and honour his son as a leader, a warrior, an innovator and an Heir…but most of all, as a person. Astrid guessed that the Chief had been looking forward to the day he could hand over the reins of the Tribe, which he himself had held for over three decades, and watch with confidence that his people would be safe and cared for.

Watching his son dying must break his heart.

Resting the flask on the table, Astrid knelt by the side of the bed and gently stroked the scorching forehead, her expression gentle as she watched his brow furrow slightly.

"Hey, babe-it's me," she said softly, leaning closer. "I'm here." His eyes opened but they were unfocussed, the emerald depths looking lost and a little scared. His mouth worked and he managed a small mumble. "It's okay, Hiccup," she whispered. "I know. I know. But I love you, babe and nothing will make me love you less." His head tilted toward the sound of her voice and his lips moved in the flicker of a smile.

"I went to see Viggo," she revealed, keeping her voice calm, though there was an edge of anger. "The man is an absolute monster. He blames you for his injuries-even though he betrayed you, tried to kill me and wanted to steal the DragonEye. You did what you had to and you still tried to help him when he was on the edge…but he fell. It was his fault."

He shook his head slightly and she leaned forward and kissed his cheek.

"Babe, I know you blame yourself-because you are a good man," she told him. "A decent man. And only Hiccup would try to save a visceral enemy when he had just betrayed him."

"Only Hiccup," Stoick murmured quietly.

"But I got the antidote from him," she said quietly. "He tried to double cross me and smashed the flask on the ground…but I gathered up as much as I could…I just pray it is enough…" His hand moved, rising slightly off the bed and slowly, haltingly reaching for her. She gently lifted his hand to her face, allowing his fingers to lightly feel her features before resting against her cheek.

"It's okay," she repeated as his face looked relieved. "I need to give you the antidote, babe. And I don't know what will happen, how much will reverse…but we will manage. Somehow, we'll manage…because there will always be a Hiccup and Astrid. Whatever it means, what ever you need-I am here for you."

Toothless warbled, inching forward to manage to get his head round the side of Stoick and nudge against the patient's hip. Hiccup's lips lifted in a smile.

"T'l'…" he managed and Astrid gave a small smile.

"Trust you to be able to say his name at the last," she murmured, reaching for the flask and gently swirling it, hoping and praying there was enough. Tenderly she lifted Hiccup's head and moved the flask to his lips. "Okay, babe-here we go," she murmured. The greenish fluid just reached his lips-and then his eyes snapped wide open and he pressed his lips closed, trying to pull away.

"Now now, son," Stoick said reassuringly. "I know most of these potions taste pretty foul! I remember one that Gothi once gave me…I thought my lips would fall off, it was so foul…" Astrid tried to feed him the potion but he kept his lips closed, his breathing accelerating. He was trying to shake his head.

"It's okay, Hiccup," Astrid encouraged him as Toothless sniffed-and then began to growl.

"I'll open his mouth for you," Stoick volunteered as Hiccup's face looked terrified and Astrid shook her head, pulling the flask back.

"No," she murmured. "No-they forced the poison down him, forced him to drink it…" And then she looked at the flask. "Hiccup-have you tasted this before?"

There was a tiny nod.

"But that's impossible," Stoick said briskly, leaning forward. "I'll open his mouth…"

"NO!" Astrid tone was suddenly urgent. "Hiccup? Was this the same potion they forced you to drink?"

There was another tiny nod.

"His mind must be befuddled by the fever," Stoick told her. "Of course it's the antidote…"

"Viggo is without honour and delights in playing games, in manipulating people," Astrid said slowly, staring at the flask and very carefully corking it again. "He is cruel and wants Hiccup dead. He tried double-crossing me with an empty flask…but what if he never gave me the antidote, knowing that by the time I got back to Berk and went looking for him again, it was too late?" And then her brows furrowed. "This isn't the antidote-this is the poison. _The Wine of Hela._ Viggo wants us to well-meaningly force yet more poison down Hiccup's throat and kill him all the sooner. And he made sure he told me the symptoms before he left. And I know Hiccup cannot see or speak, that he is very weak…but he made sure I knew he could have 'fits and delusions'. So I would ignore Hiccup's protests and kill him in my desperation to save him."

Slowly, Hiccup nodded once more.

"Oh Gods," Stoick murmured. "Odin-I never realised any man could be that callous…"

"I am so sorry, my love," Astrid said softly. "I am so sorry that I have failed you." He beckoned faintly with his hand and she leaned close until he leaned forward an inch and gently kissed her, his lips dry and cracked.

"So…there is no hope?" the Chief said slowly and Astrid sighed.

"We just have to rely on Gothi and the others to bring the antidote back and save him," she sighed. "But I trust them to do everything possible to save him." And then she smiled. "I'm here with you, babe," she sighed, feeling his hand tightened around hers. "I'm not going anywhere." She pulled back for a second, shucking off her hooded jacket and laying down her axe, knives , pauldrons and belt. "Sir-could you arrange for Stormfly to have some fish please? She'll probably be asleep but she'll be hungry when she wakes-and I want to spend some time with Hiccup."

He gave a small smile.

"M'l'…" he managed.

"That's my babe," she said and she gently laid down on the bed beside him, wrapping her arms around his hot shape and feeling him fidget a little so he was lying against her, his head resting against her. Quietly, he kissed her cheek, his hand gripped tightly around hers. " I love you too. Whatever happens, Hiccup-I will always love you. And no one else."

oOo

Fishlegs was overwhelmed by despair as he stared at the burning bushes, seeing the entire area ablaze. He knew the Hunters had destroyed every bush and that there wouldn't be any more bushes anywhere.

He had failed Hiccup.

Sighing, he glanced over and saw the bushes, with a few intact Bruise Fruit among the squashed ones, their purplish colour looking very much like a fresh bruise. And as he glanced at the them, he saw a stray twig and he frowned.

"Hmm….compound serrate leaf with elongated apex and a characteristic grey-green colour," he murmured. "I know this leaf…" And he peered more closely at the fruit. "And I know that smell…" He shuffled forward and dipped his fingers into the crushed smushed-up fruit and tasted it. "Hmm…I know that taste as well…" he breathed and his face lit with hope. Swiftly, he collected the couple of undamaged fruit and stowed them in his bag and then he stood up. He would need to give Meatlug some of his special treat-gold-laced marble and hematite-because they had a long flight to go. And Fishlegs was banking on the fact that he was sure he knew where there were more of these bushes that the Hunters had no knowledge of.

He sprinted down the hill to the Gronckle, fired with new purpose.

"Come on, Meatlug," he said urgently. "We're going to Vanaheim!"

oOo

Astrid awoke, feeling something move beside her. Her eyes snapped open, her head swinging to see Hiccup jerking, his face tight and eyes fixed open. Suddenly, his entire body was jolting, his limbs stiff and she gasped, instinctively throwing herself across him, holding him still so he didn't fall from the bed and harm himself further. With a croon, Toothless was alert, scrambling from his spot and moving over to nuzzle against Hiccup's side, cradling him from falling as well.

"Thanks, Toothless," Astrid said breathlessly as Hiccup suddenly went limp. Tenderly, she leaned over the young man, seeing his pale face slack and tracing her fingers along the scruffy line of his jaw, gently brushing the bangs off his face and feeling the heat radiating from him. With a sigh, she leaned forward and pressed a small kiss to his forehead. "Hiccup?"

There was no answer, no response at all. Stroking his face softly once mean, she leaned closer.

"Hiccup?"

He remained still and unresponsive, his breathing shallow and uneven. Toothless nudged him hard and nuzzled, distressed but the auburn-haired Rider remained unresponsive.

"Babe?" Her voice was sounding more worried and she took his hand, giving a gentle squeeze and finding…nothing. His calloused hand remained limp in hers, not even replying to another gentle squeeze. Unaccountably, her eyes pricked with tears and she blinked then away fiercely. When he woke, he wouldn't want to see her crying! She was Astrid-his Astrid-and she was a warrior, a ferocious Valkyrie and Dragon Rider who was fearless and loyal. Except she was terrified now that she was losing him and as she continued to give him gentle shakes and soft, increasingly desperate entreaties, she feared he would never wake again.

oOo

Stoick the Vast was patrolling the village when Gothi returned, her Gronckle buzzing low over the houses as she sped through and head directly for her crooked little hut perched high above the harbour on a sea-stack. Stoick glanced over at her and then turned back to his house, determined to check on his son before the Elder came by.

Astrid was sitting by his bed, trickling a little water into his mouth but he remained unconscious. He was pale though his cheeks were flushed and he was looking thinner than ever, tendrils of auburn hair stuck to his feverish brow. She looked up as Stoick entered-followed closely by Gobber. The men looked at Hiccup and then at the young woman, seeing the almost-despair in her eyes.

"I can't wake him," she said tonelessly. "He had some sort of a seizure this morning. And his fever is back." She gently combed her fingers through his wild hair and carefully made the two braids she always put in there. She leaned forward, gently brushing a hair off his forehead. "Babe-your Dad and Gobber are here. I'm going to freshen up a little. Love you." The words were without shame or any self consciousness because all those present knew they were true because they all felt the same. Tenderly, she kissed him, his lips not moving at the gentle pressure and when she pulled back, there were tears in her eyes. "Love you," she repeated and pulled back. Gobber sympathetically patted her arm.

"He's a stubborn laddie," the old blacksmith said and she nodded but she paused, staring at the door.

"But he's not, is he?" she said quietly. "He's an amazing, brave, inventive man, a warrior and champion of dragons. If he was just a laddie, Viggo and Krogan wouldn't have gone to the lengths they have to destroy him. And I love him and fear I'm going to lose him."

"Gothi's back," Stoick told her, his face sympathetic. "Go do what you have to, Astrid. We'll be waiting…"

But as she walked down the village, she glanced over at Gothi's hut. Smoke was coming from the smoke-hole and she wondered why the Elder hadn't headed straight for the Chief's Hut…but she knew that the woman was Hiccup's best-only-chance, so she had to trust her. And their friends. Head down, she heard Stormfly walking behind her and she diverted to the central store, making sure her dragon was given all the fish she needed and then she headed for the Great Hall, grabbing some food she had no appetite for and some chicken that she knew the Nadder would inhale probably without even chewing.

But when Stormfly was curled up by the Hofferson family home, she found her feet taking her to the forge, now quiet because Gobber was up with Hiccup. She lifted the shutter and slid in, the entry familiar from stolen hours with her best friend. She may not have been a proper friend to Hiccup before she realised who he was, seeing the clumsy facade and not the brave, smart, compassionate, determined young Viking he was. And since he had recovered from the battle and losing his leg, she had visited him most evenings here, catching up with him as he stole precious moments to tinker and create, allowing his exceptional imagination to run free and his mind to see himself flying with Toothless, his own wings filled with the wind. He had made his armour, the DragonFly, Toothless's saddle and various tails, weapons and many more things. And she knew that on his occasional trips, he was working on something special for her, because he had teased her, knowing her impatience.

But now he would never get to give her the surprise, never see the joy and astonishment in her eyes as she marvelled at his precise craftsmanship. So she ducked into his workshop, the tiny room behind the forge, and lit the candle, then peered into the wooden box he was using to hide the items.

Inside, there was a black leather panelled skirt, studded with iron and black metal pauldrons. A black suede and wolf fur hooded jacket were folded over a pair of black leather arm binders and as she lifted them, she noticed they were very heavy. Inspecting them, she found there were knives sheathed in both and both also contained a concealed blade that sprang out when she pressed a hidden catch. She smiled and shook her head at her boyfriend's consideration and concern for his ferocious Valkyrie girlfriend. She raised one of the binders to her nose, sniffing the fresh leather and the dye and she closed her eyes.

"Hiccup," she whispered. "You deserve to see me in this. You deserve…everything. And I just hope our friends are up to the job."

oOo

The Riders returned as the sun set and were welcomed like heroes. Gothi flew down on her Gronckle, a flask of spring water inscribed with auspicious runes and a copper cauldron strapped to the saddle as she circled, noting that Fishlegs was still missing. Snotlout and the twins were boasting of their adventures in destroying the Hunters who had killed two of the Buffalords…though the last one seemed happy. Heather had collected her assigned ingredients but she was worried that the husky rider was still on his mission-until Iggy arrived.

The red and brown Terrible Terror landed on Heather's arm obediently and stuck his leg out. Astrid looked on in mild surprise though she knew Fishlegs and Heather had been corresponding when she left after escaping the Grimborns. Iggy was exceptionally well-trained. The raven-haired Rider unrolled the scroll and frowned.

"The Hunters got to the Bruise Fruit and destroyed it," she read in horror. "But he realised it was a fruit we knew. He's gone to get some from Vanaheim."

"Vanaheim?" Snotlout moaned. "You mean the fruit we want is that mushy horrible-smelling stuff we smeared over ourselves to escape there? And he's gone back?"

"It's Hiccup's only hope," Astrid said quietly.

"How is he?" Ruff asked and she stilled.

"Unrousable now," she said. "He needs that cure-and for that he needs the fruit."

"Can't we just give him the rest?" Snotlout moaned. Gothi buzzed by and whacked him across the back of the head with her staff. Then she landed and began to scratch on the ground.

"She says…that you will waste the ingredients and kill him," Tuff read. There was a pause and all the riders stared at the male twin. "What? Is it supposed to be difficult?" he added.

"He's just made that up," Snotlout said.

"Well, Gothi hasn't hit him yet so he must have got it right," Heather pointed out.

"The fruit is essential?" Astrid checked and Gothi nodded. Then she looked up. "Snot, twins-got help him. Please?"

"I'll go," Heather volunteered.

"You don't know the way," Ruff pointed out. "We'll go with her."

"And me," Snotlout sighed. "I just wish I could have had a small meal and a rest before we set out…"

"There isn't the time," Astrid said angrily. "Alright, I'll go…" But Heather and Ruff stared at her.

"Stay here," Heather told her, grasping her friend's arms. "We'll help Fishlegs. We promise we'll make it." And she smiled. "We all owe him so much. We won't fail."

And just like that, the Riders handed all their hard-won ingredients over to Gothi and set out straight away as Stoick emerged. Gothi and Astrid headed up to the house and Astrid busied herself by feeding Toothless and collecting a flask full of his sticky saliva.

_Night Fury saliva has amazing healing properties._

She glanced up, almost hearing his bright, optimistic voice saying the words as he gently soothed a little of the sticky liquid over a raw burn she had acquired during training. She recalled being seriously sceptical…until she had seen how well her arm had healed by the next day. And then she and the Chief and Blacksmith watched as Gothi examined Hiccup, seeing his fever, his unresponsiveness and the limpness in his limbs. And then she had scraped a few symbols into the ground.

"She says…he is nearing the end," Gobber read, his voice thick with grief. "If the Riders are not back by the sunrise, it is unlikely he will respond to the antidote. The damage will be too great."

At the words, Stoick looked broken, his head bowed and face etched with grief. Gobber wrapped an arm around his friend and the two huge men took station beside the dying young man with his dragon pressed against his other side. Astrid stood at the end of the bed, her eyes burning with tears. She ended up scooching to the head of the bed, sitting with Hiccup's hand in hers. But as the long night passed and he remained deeply unconscious, Astrid knew they would miss the deadline. And as the warm orange light of dawn leaked through the shutters, She knew hope was gone. So quietly, she rose.

"You stay, Hiccup Haddock," she told him in a firm voice. "You stay, my love." She rested her hand flat over her Betrothal gift before she rested it over his heart, beating away fast in his scorching hot chest. "I am here with you. And you are always with me. But I cannot wait, I cannot watch as the man I love above everything becomes just a pyre. I have to make sure they cannot do this to anyone else. That they understand-that _everyone_ understands-that this act carries a price so dear that they will speak of it in a hundred, a thousand years." She leaned forward and kissed him tenderly. "So stay and wait for me, my love, my Hiccup…my Babe." She turned to the Night Fury. "Stay with him," she said. "Look after the Chief and Gobber."

And then she turned.

"Lass," the Chief said but she blinked back the tears.

"I can't stay," she said. "I can't watch him die. Not like this. I am so…so _angry._ And filled with rage and hate. I want to remember him as he is, as he was-warm, vital, alive…not as a corpse consumed by fires."

The Chief hugged her firmly and then Gobber followed suit.

"I understand, Astrid," he said. "And I know Hiccup knows who you are as well. He loves you-and if you need any help, any back-up…you call, okay? I owe him that and more." She nodded and turned to the door, fixing in her memory the last view of the man she loved, the desolate black Dragon curled around his bed. And then she walked out into the cold, bright morning, heading down the village with a purpose. Gathering her packs, her weapons and her dragon, she headed for the forge.

Before the sun was fully risen over the quiet and grieving village of Berk, laden with weapons and clothed in black, Astrid Hofferson left Berk, sworn to revenge.


	7. Hope and Fear

**Seven: Hope and Fear**

The Hunter vessel was carving through the grey waters of the Sullen Sea, the scudding clouds overhead driven by cold northerlies and redolent with the smell of rain. The spray was getting up and the watch was squinting against the unpleasant weather. It was a poor time to be searching for dragons but they had a quota and Krogan had made it unpleasantly clear what he wanted: the _Spearer_ was on its third Captain, the previous two having failed to meet quotas and the current incumbent was less than willing to go the same way as his predecessors. But they were behind and hence,they were sailing into the teeth of a storm in search of some dragons to fill their hold.

The clouds up ahead were flashing with incipient lightning and the watchman scowled. Dragons rarely flew in lightning storms-except Skrills-and it was highly likely their prey would be hunkered down on cliffs and in caves, seeking shelter from the deluge and as the rain began to fell, he wondered if he could suggest they pulled into a safe harbour rather than brave the increasingly choppy seas.

A screech alerted him and his head snapped up, the sound not repeated and he wondered if it was just a sound of the wind. And then he saw something, blinking as he caught the edge of something moving just at the bottom of the cloud layer, flicking in and out of view. He swiped salt water out of his eyes and saw the bottom half of a dragon. Instantly, he bellowed to the crew, his arm stabbing at the fleeting glimpse of the prey.

"DRAGON!" he yelled and the Hunters swing they catapults round, unleashing a wide spread of DragonRoot arrows, hoping to bring down the creature without any fuss. There was a screech and the Hunters readied the nets, to catch the falling dragon. They waited…and waited…and then looked at one another.

"Curse Loki," Captain Hardrar snapped. "The damned dragon got away. "That's the last we'll see of it…"

And then there was a roar and blinding flames scorched down, searing through the sails and mast. The blue and gold dragon was arrowing down, wings tightly folded against her body, her gold frill raised in fury. And the watchman blinked as he saw white thick scales of another dragon fitted to her vulnerable underbelly. And there was a black shape leaning forward over her neck, a hood shielding the Rider's face. The nets flew but the Nadder effortlessly flipped and raked its Magnesium-hot flames along the hull, the flame that could melt rock making short work of the toughened wood. The ship lurched as the hull breached and the water flooded in.

"KILL THAT NADDER!" the Captain roared. Armoured chains flew at the dragon but again, she dodged and this time the dragon halted, hovering over the ship, the Rider pushing back her hood and revealing a beautiful young blonde woman, her sea blue eyes blazing with fury.

"All you and your kind can do is ambush innocent creatures and kill," she said coldly. "Well, you are no innocent creatures-but consider yourself ambushed. Make your peace with the Gods!" The Captain stared at her.

"But we just capture dragons," he protested as his men readied a ballista. The Rider patted her dragon's shoulder and the tail jerked. His men fell, all lethally impaled by Nadder spines.

"And then you sell them to be killed or worked or fought to death," she said. "You are vermin."

"You're a Rider," the Captain protested, backing away and reaching for his sword. He knew it would be little use against this woman but he was a warrior and he was determined not to go down without a fight. "You just free the dragons and go. Your leader always lets us live…"

The woman growled.

"That was until Viggo poisoned him," she said and her voice was now deadly, her eyes locked on the Captain's face. "Viggo killed him. So I kill you. All of you." The Captain raised his sword.

"Killing us won't make a difference," he argued, crouching ready to defend himself. The deck was listing and his remaining men were trying to abandon ship. The Rider leaned forward.

"You misunderstand," she said condescendingly. "I am going to kill the entire Hunter Tribe."

And in that moment, the Captain knew there was no hope. He saw her hand reach forward, gently patting the back of the Nadder's skull and saw the blur of its tail moving before the impossibly fast spine buried in his heart. He collapsed backwards, dead before he even hit the deck as the Nadder backwinged. Astrid leaned forward.

"Finish it, girl," she said and the Nadder gave a furious roar and then slammed a blinding blast of flame into the deck, punching through the wood and through to the sea below. The ship snapped in two and cast the remaining Hunters into the increasingly furious sea, the rumble of thunder sounding behind them. White lightning bleached the scene and highlighted the few remaining heads bobbing and struggling in the storm. The waves were swamping them and it was certain they would all die. And if Hiccup had been there, Astrid would have helped him save these men, even though they were enemies, because that was who he was.

But Hiccup was dying, all hope now gone and all Astrid could do was salve her grief with the blood of his enemies. So she flipped her hood up against the sheeting rain and turned away, driving Stormfly up through the raging clouds and off in search of the next ship.

oOo

Fishlegs was astonished to find himself safely down the rocky and pretty desolate surroundings of Vanaheim, the greyish rocks towering over the little valley where he had landed. The Sentinels had heard Meatlug approaching and had attacked them ferociously, trying to drive away the healthy dragon and her rider. But Fishlegs was more focussed and brave than he had ever been and accelerated between the Sentinels, feeling the powerful impact of their wing blasts-but they only slowed them as they broke through and impacted into the only bush in the shallow valley. They were on the other side of the island from where they had arrived previously, where the twins had settled in a valley of the Sentinel fruit…which Fishlegs now realised were the 'Bruise Fruit' that could save Hiccup's life.

So, lightly bruised, stiff and exhausted, they began to walk across the uneven land, heading past a mountain that almost looked like a giant dragon skull before rounding a rockfall and heading on. Meatlug was very tired and when Fishlegs finally found the bushes, she settled down, munched a couple of lumps of sandstone tiredly and then fell asleep. Sighing, the husky man rubbed his face. It had been a very busy day and he had pushed himself and his dragon to the limit. And as night fell, he knew there was no chance that he could make it back to Berk tonight. So he carefully found a safe place to sleep, made a fire and collected the fruit he needed securely in his saddle bags.

"I'll head out as soon as we get a rest, Meatlug," he murmured, munching the dried fish he had left off from his rations and then curling up against her. "We need to be up at dawn…"

He jerked awake with the sun high in the sky and Meatlug licking his face. He gave a low chuckle.

"Daddy's awake," he managed, trying to swipe the drool off his skin. He tried to sit up-and became aware of four figures standing around him.

"Glad to hear it," Snotlout commented sarcastically. "Now would you mind…oh, I don't know…getting back to Berk so we can save Hiccup?"

Fishlegs sat up so swiftly he hit his head against the stone beside him as Meatlug gave a happy wag of her whole body.

"What are you guys doing here?" he asked, wincing and pressing his hand against his sore head.

"Astrid sent us," Tuff reported. "H is pretty bad now and he needs us to get his antidote back kind of now."

"Preferably a few hours ago-but we had to find you," Ruff added. Fishlegs winced and then glanced over at his saddlebag, inspecting the fruit. They were beginning to turn to mush and he growled and put his hand into the soft mass.

"We need more," he protested. "And we need it urgently. This fruit doesn't last that well…" Heather looked at him and nodded.

"We need to send the fruit back with the fastest possible dragon-because that is Hiccup's best chance," she realised and then she looked to her right. "Snotlout-you're up. You need to get three pounds of the fruit back, intact and suitable for Gothi to do whatever she needs to." The stocky rider looked over to her and for once, he didn't say anything stupid. He looked thoughtful and then he pointed skywards.

"How are we going to get out of here?" he asked. "I mean, I can't waste the fruit on me…"

"You could use the spoiled fruit…" Fishlegs suggested.

"Once we've made sure there is enough to replace them," Heather reminded him and he nodded.

"How is he?" he asked quietly. Ruff shrugged.

"They said he was unrousable…but Astrid's face was…sad…" she admitted quietly. "I think she's not convinced he'll ever wake…"

"He must," Tuff said with conviction. "Look…he's done everything for us. He gave himself up for us. He can't leave us now…" Fishlegs marched towards the bushes.

"Let's get this fruit and get back home," he said. "And hope Snotlout makes it in time…"

oOo

Stock the Vast stood on the cliff overlooking the harbour and stared into the misty horizon. Hiccup remained totally unresponsive and Gothi had been dripping willow tea into his mouth to try to bring the fever down while Gobber and Stoick had sponged down his hot body. Toothless wouldn't leave his side, the dragon's expressive eyes eloquently conveying his utter devastation at his beloved Rider's condition. Stoick couldn't understand how it happened, how his son and the last Night Fury had a bond closer than most brothers but it had happened. And with his dragon-brother, his self-conscious and awkward son had become the most amazing and inventive tactician, leader and Chief of his small Tribe of Dragon Riders.

"Seven generations," Stoick murmured to himself softly, his heart aching. He had lost his beloved wife Valka when Hiccup was only a baby and now his only son, his only Heir was dying. And there was nothing that Stoick the Vast, the huge and feared Chief of the Hooligan Tribe could do. This was a battle that his son had to fight alone, with the help of his friends and Gothi. "Son, I know you can't hear me," Stoick murmured to the breeze, his eyes misting. "And I wonder if you are already travelling with the Valkyrie." He blinked: he couldn't believe that his son would be consigned to Helheim, felled by a poison, not dying gloriously in battle. "But Astrid is already out there, unable to stay still and do nothing. And maybe, because your death will be over the corpses of many Hunters, Lord Odin will admit you to Valhalla."

He blinked again.

"I don't know what I'll do if I lose you, son," he murmured. "I…"

And then he paused. There was a speck on the horizon, flying low and fast and heading directly for the village and as he watched, there was a brief flare of flame.

"Snotlout?" Stoick murmured, his eyes squinting to pick out the details and recognising the red and brown Monstrous Nightmare, flying as fast as he could home. As the Chief watched, holding his breath, he saw the dragon rise and the familiar shape of his nephew rise over and shoot over the village, the scream of "HOOKFANG!" very familiar. The dragon gave a huge roar and flamed once more, then landed outside the Chief's house. Stoick was already sprinting up the village and Gothi emerged from the house, her eyes filled with relief. She almost snatched the saddlebag and hobbled at top speed into the Chief's House, urgently beginning to make the potion that was the cure for the Wine of Hela.

"How is he?" the stocky Rider asked, walking stiffly into the hut and stealing a worried glance over at Hiccup. The leader of the Riders remained motionless, his face slack and body limp, his breaths shallow and his pulse bounding in his neck. He was almost colourless and Toothless was laying his head alongside his chest. Gobber shrugged.

"Gothi said that the antidote was too late if it arrived after dawn," he explained, staring at the setting sun. "The damage would be too great."

"My son is alive," Stoick said gruffly, breathing heavily from the sprint up the precipitous village. "And while he lives, he fights. One thing I know about Hiccup is that he is far too stubborn to give up. He wants to be back with Toothless, with Astrid and with me. He wants to fly again with his friends and tinker in the forge. He wants to be free…and he wants to save the dragons from Viggo. He will fight to his last breath."

Gothi rolled her eyes and turned back to tearing up the Goat Grass then mashing up the Bruise Fruit. Snotlout pointed in outrage.

"Hey! How come she can mush them up when we went to all that effort to bring them back unmushed?" he protested. Gothi whacked him with her wooden spoon and he yelped.

"Son-where are the others?" Stoick asked him, frowning Sighing, Snotlout shrugged.

"They're still on Vanaheim," he admitted. "There are stone dragons there-Sentinels-that are blind but stop healthy dragons getting in and any dragons getting out. They distracted the Sentinels to let is go because Hookie is the fastest one there so that I could get the fruit to you the soonest we could…" His eyes drifted over to the supine shape of his cousin and sighed again. "I just hope it works."

Gothi paused and grabbed her staff, scratching furiously on the floorboards.

"He may never wake," she explained and Gobber read in a toneless voice. "He may still die. He may not regain his sight or any motion and remain paralysed and blinded. Or he may gradually regain some or all of what he has lost. There is no predicting: no one has ever tried the cure and the effectiveness is only a supposition…"

Walking forward and removing his helmet, Stoick knelt by his son's bedside.

"I understand," he said softly. "And no one will blame you if this is unsuccessful. You at least tried and did more than anyone could have imagined…and more than Viggo would have dreamed. You have given my son a chance…and that is all I ask." Toothless gave a croon and lifted his head, sniffing at the warm mushy liquid, leaning forward and drooling a little into the bowl before drawing his head back and giving what sounded like an approving croon. Gothi and Stoick helped carefully thin the mixture with water and trickle it into his mouth, massaging his throat to make him swallow. It took a long time and the mixture had gone cold by the time they managed to get the whole bowlful down him. Toothless nuzzled a little from the cauldron and smeared it over the brand, growling when anyone tried to wipe it away. Shaking his head, Stoick sat heavily in the chair.

"How long does it take?" Snotlout asked. Gothi shrugged as Gobber found a stool and the Elder took the large chair. Quietly, Snotlout perched on a bench.

"Shouldn't you be going home?" Gobber asked but Snotlout shook his head.

"Nah-I think I'll stay," he said. "He would stay for me. He came for me, more than once. And he's family. I'll be here for him."

"Now we wait," Stoick said. "And pray."

oOo

She had trailed the next ship back to a dragon market and as she stared at the huge numbers of Hunters and purchasers, she knew she was seriously outmatched. What she needed were allies. And then she smiled and turned away, diverting to an island that wasn't that far away and very carefully gathering barrels of water. And then she returned.

The sales for the day had ended but there were many, many dragons still caged and more arriving for the big auction the next day. But it was dark and moonless and as soon as the late watch was on, she and Stormfly began, flying silently in and carefully dumping the water over the cages. Using the stars, they went back to the island and refilled the containers, making sure she got back before dawn and ensured every dragon had been dowsed. Then she rested for an hour outside the little port and waited for the traders and purchasers to arrive and ready for the markets of the day.

The first inkling that there was trouble was when the Hunters checked on their dragons. Every dragon was angry, drooling fire and completely the opposite of the cowed, scared creatures they had left in the cages at sundown. The handlers walked around their wares, prodding the creatures cruelly and being met by roars. Nevertheless, they continued and prepared for the auction.

Walking by, swathed in a cloak and chewing some roasted yak that was being sold at a stall for very reasonable prices, Astrid glanced at the cages and a small smile lifted her lips. Her plan was going perfectly and as she watched, the dealers and purchasers slowly began to coalesce around the cages, ready to sell. Ducking behind, she quietly sneaked round the back until she was able to approach a couple of the cages and flip the catches open. Standing carefully behind the cage door as she swung it back, the Hooligan watched as the Gronckle unhesitatingly flew out, eyes slitted and fire dripping from its mouth. She then released a Monstrous Nightmare and a couple of very angry looking Changewings.

There was a pause and she sneaked back and saw the first dragons being sold-but as the auctioneer waved at the dragons, the nearest one snapped and took off his hand.

There was a shocked silence as the man screamed in pain and then the Hunters raised their weapons, preparing to slay the ferocious dragon-as the first screams started to sound. There were roars and people began to run as the freed dragons hunted and attacked the vendors and buyers. Quietly, Astrid took the opportunity to free a couple more and flipped up the door catches on a dozen more cages as she passed, watching the dragons break free. Some of the more powerful dragons were so enraged that they were slamming themselves against the bars and the supposedly dragon-proof metal was starting to bend…and finally give. Freed, they attacked the auctioneers and Hunter guards as well.

Astrid watched the market descend into chaos, the dragons far more aggressive and furious than they had been, uncaring of weapons and hunting the humans determinedly. Ducking back, Astrid made her cautious way through, freeing the last few dragons and then ducking back…the find herself facing a furious Zippleback. Both heads weaved from side to side, drooling green fire and the girl knew that there was no chance she could train this dragon. But then a hiss sounded and Stormfly leapt between the raging Zippleback and her Rider, barging it back. Bouncing from side to side and constantly blocking the furious aggressor, she finally succeeded in driving the angry dragon away. It was with relief that she saw the Zippleback head to her left, seeing other, better options as Astrid rested her hand on the Nadder's neck in gratitude.

"Thanks, girl," she murmured. "Now let's get out of here…" She leapt into the saddle and they shot up into the air, seeing the ships all sunk or on fire and the remaining humans on the remote port being hunted to death. And while she should feel dismay at the death she was witnessing, a large part of her reminded her that these were people who sold dragons as mere goods, who had captured and sold their own dragons in the past and who worked with the people who had captured and tortured Hiccup. As the last few purchasers and Hunters fell, she nodded and dived straight into the harbour, the cold water taking her breath but rewarding her with the high pitched shriek as the unseen Grimora they had picked up from the encounter with the Zippleback desperately separated from the Nadder and drowned. Finally, they broke the surface and Astrid glanced over her shoulder at the port: the place was in flames, the ships were all destroyed and the people slain. Above, the dragons circled and she paused and then turned away. After talking to Fishlegs and Hiccup, she knew the Grimoras would eventually need to return to fresh water and would leave the dragons but until then, there would be no more auctions.

Hands tightening on the saddle, Astrid Hofferson urged her dragon on in search of her next target.


	8. The Bringer of Death

**Eight: The Bringer of Death**

The firelight was illuminating the small cave, the fire banked and gilding the edge of Stormfly's wings and Astrid's hair. Outside, the freezing night was wrapped around the little mountain, the sounds of the wind echoing through the cave, above the crackle of the fire and the deep breaths of the sleeping Deadly Nadder. Curled at her side, Astrid was awake, her eyes fixed on the small entrance and the darkness beyond. To her eye, the blackness was just a little lighter and as she closed her eyes, she imagined herself back on the Edge, back before the whole disaster befell them…

_…_ _Hiccup was there, not as she had last seen him but vibrant, alive. His hair was its usual tousled mess atop his smiling face, his eyes sparkling with humour and enthusiasm. The two little braids moved as he turned his head to smile at her, the slightly toothy grin that always set her heart fluttering-though she had foolishly hidden it, denied it for so long. And he was bounding with energy as he jumped towards her, grasping her arms and swinging her around. Then he stilled and the look in his eyes changed, from humour to love and he smiled, then leaned close, his lips pressing gently but passionately against hers. And he deepened the kiss, making sure she knew that he loved her, that he was always hers. And he was so warm, to vital as she hugged him, his arms winding around her and pulling her against him, their bodies perfectly moulded. He was her other half, the only man for her…_

She opened her eyes and saw the horizon brightening, the faint cold pinkish blushing against the clouds. Wrapping her blanket around herself, she sat up and then rose, walking slowly to the mouth of the cave. It was cold outside, the rocks rimed with frost and the ground dropping away into the predawn gloom. Leaning against the cold rock, she watched as the sky lightened from a pink blush to a warm rose-and then a sliver of orange peeked over the sea, the brilliance of the rising sun causing her to blink and tears to shine in her eyes.

Gothi had said he had seven days, that he would not see this day. She was watching the first dawn in a world without Hiccup in.

"Goodbye, my love," she whispered.

oOo

Stoick opened his eyes from where he had been dozing in the chair by his son's bed. Toothless was awake, his big green eyes locked on the pallid face and a mournful expression on his draconic face. The loud sawing sound of Gobber snoring was filling the room and to one side, Snotlout was also asleep, having refused to leave his cousin. The other Riders hadn't returned yet and Stoick knew that at some time he would need to send Snotlout and probably the A Team out to retrieve them. Though a small part of his mind reminded him that Heather, Fishlegs and the twins could probably get out of anything, given enough time.

Sitting bolt upright, Stoick leaned worriedly towards his son and inspected the pale face, the few freckles his only colour. Even his lips were pale-but his chest was rising and falling shallowly, the pulse still bounding in his neck. Tenderly, the Chief rested his huge hand on the young man's hot forehead, feeling the fever lower than previously. Recalling what Gothi had instructed, he grasped the flask of water and the cloth and carefully dribbled water over Hiccup's cracked lips and saw the throat work slightly as he swallowed. Repeating the process until he had managed to get half a cup down his son's throat, he stood up and looked around, trailing a gentle hand over the dragon's head.

"Watch him, Toothless," he murmured. A small, sad warble sounded in reply, the dragon never moving from his station. Then, slowly, Stoick got to his feet and trailed to the door, automatically grabbing his helmet and cramming it onto his head. He stole a look back at his son before taking a deep breath and walking out onto the grass in front of his house, staring down the slope over the village which was just beginning to rouse amid the pinkish mists of the dawn. The sun was just peeking above the horizon and he gave a big yawn and stretched-and then he stilled.

One week ago, Gothi had rendered her verdict on his son, his poor tortured, beaten, branded Hiccup.

_He has been poisoned._

_The poison will take his life within seven moons._

_If the Riders are not back by the sunrise, it is unlikely he will respond to the antidote. The damage will be too great._

"He should be dead," the Chief murmured, staring as the sun inched higher into the cold pink sky. "He should have died yesterday. The antidote was too late."

_So stay and wait for me, my love, my Hiccup…_

"But he's still alive…"

He turned back to the house and raced back in, his eyes wide as he stared at the limp shape. He tenderly pressed his hand against the bruised forehead, leaning forward and peering into the familiar features.

"You're my son, alright," he murmured. "Stubborn like me…and your Mom…and that lass of yours…Thor help Berk if you have a child…"

"What? Where? Who's having a child?" Gobber said suddenly, sitting bolt upright and blinking, staring at his friend. "Stoick…is he…?"

"Alive," the Chief said, half-laughing and half-amazed. "He's still alive. And I think his fever is a little lower…" Gobber leaned forward, using his flesh hand to feel the young man's cheek and then his face cracked with a grin.

"I never doubted the ornery old bag for an instant!" he proclaimed, earning himself a whack on the shoulder by Gothi. The old woman scuttled forward, her squinting gaze locked on the pale face, her hands surely feeling Hiccup's forehead and exploring his pulse. She listened to his chest, smelled his hair and licked his hand. And then she pulled a face and wiped her tongue with a scowl at Toothless, who gave an apologetic warble. During the long hours of the night, the Night Fury had been intermittently licking Hiccup's hand out of anxiety and Night Fury saliva tasted foul. Then she turned back to Hiccup and lifted his eyelids slightly, seeing his eyes still rolled back in his head: he was still deeply unconscious. With a shrug, she began to scratch on the floor.

"He is alive and seems a little stronger," Gobber read and stole a glance at the still body. "But he remains deeply within the prison of his mind and I do not know whether he will ever wake: only time will tell." Stoick gently stroked the hair from his son's forehead and sighed.

"Then all we can do is pray and hope my son returns to us," he said.

oOo

_Hiccup's eyes snapped open and he stared around. He was back in the fortress, back in the prison where they had tortured him and as the realisation hit him, he curled in on himself. His throat worked, his shoulders hunched and he closed his eyes. He didn't want to be here. Terrifyingly, he could recall every word, every act Krogan and Viggo had done to him and as he did, his hand trailed up to press against the fresh scar where they had branded him. Of all the things that they could do, that was pretty much the worst, because it took everything from him-his name, his Tribe, his position as Heir, his very freedom._

_For the first time, the absolute gravity of what he was doing hit him. He had fought the Hunters because they had attacked Astrid and taken Stormfly, because they were harming dragons and because they had tried to harm the Riders. The War had escalated, involving Dagur and Heather and the Defenders of the Wing and hurting Berk. And when Viggo had used them to defeat his treacherous brother Ryker and then had threatened to kill Astrid for the DragonEye. When it came to the decision, Hiccup had willingly and unhesitatingly destroyed the instrument rather than hand it to Viggo. And he could still see the man vanish over the collapsing lip of the volcano of the Edge and had felt relief and regret that he had gone._

_But Viggo had survived, allied to the vicious Krogan who rode a Singetail and led his Fliers ruthlessly. And the man had no soul, no compassion, no desire to play or spar: Krogan was only fixated on results and would do anything to achieve that end…including breaking the skinny young Viking who had crossed him one time too many. Krogan had wielded the brand, his dark eyes glittering with enjoyment as he had pressed the red-hot iron against Hiccup's skin, his thin lips curling up at the younger man's screams and the sickening sizzle of his flesh searing. Krogan had used the whip and poured the poison down Hiccup's throat. He had threatened so much, done worse and all Hiccup had done was hold onto his courage, refusing to speak, refusing to help him find 'the King of Dragons', refusing to do anything he wanted. His leg twitched and he winced, for the man had cut and burnt and cauterised the sensitive scarred skin. And he had cast Hiccup into this pit…_

_He uncurled and looked up, eyes widening with horror as he saw the familiar and beloved face of Astrid, her features framed by her golden hair as Krogan jerked her against his body._

_"You know she's mine now…just as you belong to Viggo…" he said coldly. "What fun I am going to have with her. Do you think she will submit to me? Do you think she could become a Flier?"_

_"Never!" Astrid spat. Hiccup winced as Krogan fisted her hair and wrenched her head back, pulling her obscenely close against his body._

_"You are the correct friend for Hiccup Haddock," he condemned her. "Just as stubborn…but there are things that we can do to a woman to loosen her tongue that you will not like, Hiccup." He stared down into the pit. "Maybe you want to save her, to spare her from the degradation?" Astrid was shaking her head and Hiccup felt his heart crack at her determination._

_"Don't do it," she murmured, the same words she had said when Viggo had threatened her. "Don't…" Krogan smiled._

_"A shame," he murmured. "But more amusement for me…" And he pulled her back and vanished from view._

_"ASTRID!" Hiccup's voice echoed up the pit but all he could hear was silence. Uncurling, his battered body aching with every movement, he crawled to the uneven walls of the pit and then stretched his hands up, finding the tiniest of handholds and grips. Slowly, he began to climb._

oOo

"How many?" Krogan's voice was cold and disbelieving.

"Seven," Viggo replied, equally coolly. Krogan's head snapped round and his face twisted into an unfamiliar sneer.

"And when were you going to tell me that seven of my ships are missing?" he asked sarcastically.

"Now," Viggo replied calmly. "And I believe that they are my Hunters, not yours."

You work for me, Grimborn-and so do your men. Ergo-they are ALL mine-you, them, the ships!" Krogan sneered. "And unlike you-who specialises in failure and defeat, I demand to know when unexplained incidents occur." Viggo's face twitched, his eye hardening and he dropped his hand to the hilt of his sword.

"I shall make sure you are informed of everything," he said shortly. "So in that spirit, the latrines are overflowing, Sven Two has gotten stuck up a tree again and the cook put pears instead of apple in the apple pie for lunch." Krogan growled.

"I mean matters of actual significance, not the antics Sven Two-who I am aware is your cousin and any legitimate General would have executed for incompetence years ago," he scorned. "Have you sent search parties for the ships?"

"I can cease our efforts in dragon hunting to go and look for them-or perhaps you could deploy your Fliers who travel quicker and may cover a larger area from a superior viewpoint for a search and rescue operation?" Viggo snapped. Krogan glared at him: he disliked Viggo intensely but he had to admit that the man had been a successful Dragon Hunter and was still a cunning strategist. His only flaw, in Krogan's eyes, was that he had played with Hiccup Haddock, instead of exterminating the boy like the vermin he was. Krogan's solution had been successful first time out.

"I will deploy the second flight under Fehar forthwith," Krogan said smoothly. "They will locate your missing ships."

"Maybe they want to check to auction site of Bare Rock Island," Viggo added. "I know you claim you are supposed to be the leader but when were you planning on telling me that the ships sent there never returned-or that we had not received the gold from the sale of the dragons?" Krogan's eyes narrowed: he hadn't intended Viggo to learn of the anomaly until he had investigated it himself and already resolved the situation.

"I shall lead the flight to investigate myself," Krogan said. "The weather has been unusually inclement and I am sure that it will only be a delay due to mooring to avoid the storms." Viggo walked to the desk and poured himself a cup of mead as Krogan turned away.

"You keep telling yourself that," he murmured as the man marched from the tent, yelling for his Fliers. "It has all the hallmarks of a Dragon Rider attack. And that would be a problem…because if Hiccup is still alive, then he will be a deadlier foe than ever."

oOo

Astrid leaned low over Stormfly's neck, her eyes fixed on the distant island ahead. It hadn't taken much effort to locate the home of the Dragon Hunter Tribe and once she knew where they came from, she had hatched the only plan that she could. But she was approaching from the north, coming in under the cover of the low clouds, her hood up and a scarf over his lower fare to keep off the icy spikules that were driven on the incessant wind. Stormfly adjusted her attitude and took a couple of extra flaps as they accelerated and the Rider pushed aside any qualms she had. Ahead was a settlement about twice or three times the size of Berk, the harbour lined with four Hunter vessels, the crews home visiting their families. The island was far enough from Dragon Island not to have suffered any raids during the dragon war and these people had exploited the dragons to their own ends, while offering no assistance to those who had actually suffered. And when the war had been ended-again by those who had suffered the most-these people had taken advantage of the peace and threatened the dragons who had been befriended by the Hooligans.

Her hands tightened on the edge of her saddle. Viggo had targeted Berk, stealing their gold and then blockading the island using a Submaripper. He had led to hardship and starvation, to cold and hunger and illness. Several old folks had died during the hunger and though maybe a couple would have died due to old age and other illnesses, Astrid knew in her heart that their ends had been caused by Viggo's actions. And now the leader of the Hunters had taken the most precious thing from Berk, her Heir-and Astrid's betrothed. So now it was her turn.

They crossed the coastline and she felt the surge of adrenaline rush through her-and then the village came into sight. She glanced over her shoulder at the phalanx of Deadly Nadders she had collected from the Edge and raised her arm.

"ATTACK!" she commanded and dived down towards the village.

With a variety of screams and roars, the Nadders burst from the clouds and raked the houses with flames. Unprecedented and completely unexpected, the villagers were taken unawares and after the first dozen houses burst into flames. there were people running in panic, mothers trying to find children, men looking for weapons and the Hunters heading for the ballistas…

…to find themselves facing Stormfly and Astrid. Zipping round. she launched flasks filled with greenish Zippleback gas that smashed and billowed the greenish gas around the weapons, before the Nadder fired accurately and ignited it. The blasts shattered the strategic weapons, leaving the Hunters with only debris to throw at the attacking dragons. Glancing at the carnage, Astrid flipped round and signalled to a pair of purple and amber Nadders, who flanked Stormfly as the trio strafed the moored Hunter ships. Timbers shattered and sails flamed as the dragons methodically and mercilessly sank the ships, incinerating anyone left aboard. Then Astrid flipped round and turned her attentions back to the village.

She had trained Nadders for years, working with wild Nadders for displays for Bork week and in driving off the Screaming Death when it attacked Dragon Island. Stormfly had a knack of befriending wild Nadders and her rider had found herself skilled in training the species. Even as a sixteen year old, she could get a phalanx to fly perfectly in synchronisation, every dragon flapping his wings in perfect unison. And she knew all the Nadders on Dragon Island well: it hadn't been much effort to call them in and raid the armoury on the Edge to help the attack. So it was little effort to direct them to annihilate the village. She swooped round, watching the defenders cut down by flames and spines and claws and directly taking out the larger groups until every building was an inferno, all defences were matchwood and the ships all sunk. And finally, as the place was swathed in smoke and smog and the remaining villagers-mainly some old and women and children-were huddled in what remained of their town plaza, Astrid hovered lower and glared down upon them, her axe in her hand.

"WHO IS IN CHARGE?" she shouted and there was a pause. She nodded and Stormfly sprayed a fan of spines mere inches in front of the huddled group. There were screams and babies crying. "WHO IS IN CHARGE?" she repeated in an impatient voice. Finally, a man with a full salt and pepper beard and good quality dark blue long tunic and leggings stepped forward. There was a gold chain around his neck and a gold boss on his cloak.

"I am the Chief," he said in a deep voice. "Ulric Grimborn is my name."

"LIAR!" Astrid snapped. "Viggo is your Chief." There was an intake of breath,

"Chief Viggo is dead," Ulric said. "My nephew died fighting those damned dragon riders…"

"He looked well enough when he was running away from me ten days ago," Astrid snapped. "His face was burned from where he fell into the volcano after he betrayed his word and tried to kill me. We helped him when his brother betrayed him-and he broke his oath. He is alive…" Her blazing gaze swept the crowd. "You know it. The Hunters know it."

There was a pause, the sounds of the crackling flames filling the pause. Slowly, Ulric nodded.

"He is no longer our Chief," he repeated. "The Council voted to replace him because he neglected his duties in favour of the war with the Dragon Riders…"

"You mean my friends and I?" Astrid asked pointedly.

"He was right to fight you!" a woman shouted from the crowd. "Look at you! Attacking a village…"

"Be silent!" Astroid roared. "The fight was between us and the Hunters-but Viggo could not win so he began to show his cowardice, his treachery. He sent bounty hunters after our leader. When that failed, he blockaded our village and starved our people. Old women and children died for want of food and medicines because he could not beat us in a fair fight. So do not speak of what you do not know!"

There were mutters in the crowd.

"And now-Viggo and his new ally, Krogan, captured our leader," Astrid announced harshly. "They tortured him and broke him and poisoned him. He never surrendered and he died because they gave him a vicious poison so that even when he was rescued, he would die before his despairing friends and family. And he would never have done this because, despite Viggo's treachery and viciousness, Hiccup never sought war: he always looked to save life, to achieve the peaceful solution. All he wanted was Viggo to stop hunting dragons and destroying innocent, intelligent, gentle creatures. Viggo refused and destroyed him instead."

"As he deserved," a voice from the crowd said. Astrid waved her hand and a spine arrowed down. The voice was abruptly cut off.

"And this is why your village has been burnt to the bare rock," she told them, her eyes narrowed with rage. "I am not Hiccup, the Dragon Master. He would not do this. But I am his Betrothed, now a Shield Maiden. I will avenge him and make sure that Lord Odin grants him admission to Valhalla, even though he died in bed of a cowardly poison, because he will be buried on mountains of the bodies of his enemies. And the Hunter Tribe are his enemies: so you must all die!" She gestured and the Nadders all lined up beside her, screeching and flying unconsciously in synchronicity with Stormfly, the effect very frightening as they all raised their tails, the spines raised and ready to fire.

"WAIT!" Ulric shouted, his voice begging. "Please…there are women and children here! These are innocents. They never harmed your Hiccup! Please…have mercy…"

"And leave enemies who may come back and seek vengeance, who may continue your Godless ways?" Astrid hissed. "The Dragon Hunter Tribe must die!" Ulric glanced around. The Hunters in port had been slain and any men had been cut down as well. There were only women and children and nothing here to eat at all. All they could do would be to take the few small fishing skiffs and leave the island.

"There will be no more Dragon Hunter Tribe!" he promised wildly. "I will renounce the name of our Tribe, the Tribal symbol and all possessions and history. I will say that the Tribe has been destroyed and any survivors are to integrate into other Tribes. That anyone claiming the name is a liar and a plunderer. That any possessions of the Tribe are No Man's possession. That we are not your enemies. That we will will never hunt dragons or help those who hunt dragons!"

Astrid threw parchment and charcoal down.

"Write it now!" she commanded. "I will deliver it to the Council of Chiefs in person. And if I hear of one transgression against this, if I hear any one claims to be in the Hunter Tribe, I will hunt down and kill every single one, every man, woman and child. And I will never give up. You killed my betrothed-so I will destroy every one of you." She flapped lower, seeing him writing furiously and copying the words he had declared. "And I am only allowing this in memory of Hiccup. Because if it were down to me, you would already all be dead."

The dragons roared and the refugees cowered. For moments, the eerie synchronous flap of wings was the only sound above the crackle and roar of flames. Finally, the man stood up and held the parchment aloft.

"It is done," he said. "Come down and fetch it…"

Suddenly it was snatched from his hand and he stared at the blue Terrible Terror that calmly delivered it to the Rider's hand. She scanned the runes and nodded, then rolled it up and beckoned.

"Your ring," she snapped. "As a sign that this is real-and so no one can claim it as your 'Chief'. NOW!" Ulric glared and threw up the heavy gold ring up into the air, inscribed with the hated symbol of the Dragon Hunters. Astrid caught it one-handed and nodded, then hovered higher up.

"Please…let us leave…" Ulric begged and slowly, Astrid nodded.

"I will watch you depart," she said, "while my dragons destroy anything left here. Anyone returns, they will only find bare rock." There was a long moment as the Chief looked up at her, wondering how she had read his mind and then she gestured. Every alternate dragon peeled away and began to rake the village with lines of flame, as if ploughing a field. Then they switched direction and repeated the run as the red and white hot timbers melted into ashes. The cowering remnants of the Tribe backed away, following their Chief and walking down to the beach, where a couple of small fishing boats were pulled up. The couple of old men and adolescent lads managed to push them into the water along with a few of the younger women and they were swiftly loaded up. Finally, they pushed away, unfurling the sails and heading out to sea.

Checking that the village was reduced to nothing, that there was no shelter, no food, no sign that the Hunter Tribe had ever lived here, Astrid gestured and she and her Nadders swooped up, shadowing the little boats until they were caught in the ferocious currents and carried irrevocably away from the island. She stared at the gold ring and nodded.

"The Hunter Tribe is gone," she murmured. "Now I just need to finish Krogan and Viggo."


	9. Confessions

**Nine: Confessions**

"It's been four days," Fishlegs said as the Riders sat by Hiccup's bed. "Why hasn't he woken?" Heather stole a glance at the still shape lying motionless on the bed, a little scruff darkening the line of his jaw and his skin pale before she sighed.

"I was talking to Gobber and he tells me that Gothi explained that he may never wake…or if he does, he may remain paralysed or blind," she sighed. "We were technically too late: the antidote should have been given before dawn. It's a miracle he's still alive."

"Oh…it's all my fault…" Fishlegs murmured. "I should've gotten to the fruit sooner. I shouldn't have needed to go all the way to Vanaheim and then we could have given him the antidote sooner and…" Reaching out gently, Heather rested her hand on his arm, gently curling her fingers to still his anxious ramble.

"Fishlegs!" she said urgently, staring into his eyes. "I'm glad it was you-because none of us would have realised that the fruit we need and the fruit from Vanaheim were one and the same. Only someone with your amazing botanical knowledge would have realised that."

"But I was too slow and…"

"Fish-you sent Iggy to us," she reminded him. "And we helped you. We sent the fruit back by the fastest dragon we had and it worked! Hiccup is still alive!" She lowered her eyes. "Frankly, that was something none of us expected when we returned." The husky man gently took her hand and nodded.

"I know," he sighed. "I mean, Hiccup is my best friend…he's the only one who understands me, I think." He looked at the still shape. "I mean, we chat for hours and hours about dragons. He listens to my theories and I listen to his. We debate about dragon behaviour and relationships and how we can deal with them…and loads of other stuff…" He swallowed. "Sometimes, we find ourselves thinking exactly the same thing and finish each other's sentences. It's…like the brother I never had. And I have never properly apologised for how I treated him when he was desperately trying to be accepted and I was safely in with the cool kids." Heather stared into his green eyes and frowned.

"You know, no one ever talks about that," she murmured. Fishlegs rubbed his arm and looked at the floor.

"Well, it's kind of because we all feel horribly bad about it-and terribly guilty," he admitted. "I was his friend when we were much younger-and so was Astrid. But as he remained small and clumsy, we kind of drifted apart. Astrid concentrated on her training and I joined the gang just to avoid being picked on. And I really started growing while Hiccup remained small. The others bullied him-sometimes quite badly. His father was disappointed in him and really Gobber was his only friend until he shot down Toothless." Heather stared at the unconscious shape and sighed.

"You know, this sounds so unreal," she admitted softly, watching Hiccup's chest gently rise and fall. "When I first arrived, he was clearly your leader. You all accepted him-sure, you argued and Snotlout was…well, Snotlout. But everyone acknowledged he was the one in charge. That was why I worked so hard to stay with him. I-I can't believe that he wasn't always your friend…" Fishlegs sighed.

"And you know what? I don't think most of us have ever properly apologised either," he said slowly. "He has never asked and he has forgiven us…because he doesn't bear grudges…"

"But I think Astrid may well have apologised," Heather murmured. "Quite a lot…" Blushing, Fishlegs nodded.

"Even though he's my best friend, she's the one he wants to be with," he agreed. "I mean, she is a fierce warrior…and beautiful…and he has been in love with her forever…and they're betrothed…and she loves him…"

"And she doesn't know he's still alive," Heather realised. "Fish-do you think Iggy can find her?" He shrugged.

"But he doesn't know where she's gone and he's scared of Sneaky, her Terrible Terror…" he protested. Taking his hand, Heather stared at the motionless auburn-haired Rider.

"Please," she murmured. "She's my friend as well. And she loves him with all her heart. She deserves to know he's still alive…" Fishlegs nodded and then leaned forward, his big hand closing around Hiccup's as he leaned forward.

"I'm sorry," he said sincerely. "I know I never said it. And you never asked. You were just so…forgiving. So kind and generous…even when we were playing up or being stupid or teasing you. You made each and every one of us feel part of the team, no matter how idiotic. You spent time with all of us. And you never let us down. I'm sorry I let you down…both when we were younger when I wasn't brave enough to stay your friend and now when I wasn't fast enough to get the fruit to you in time. And I hope…I hope when you wake, you will forgive me. Please come back to us, Hiccup. Please keep fighting. Please wake."

And then he looked over at Heather.

"I'll send Iggy when we leave him," he said. "But maybe we could stay a little longer?" Heather smiled.

"We can stay as long as you want," she said.

oOo

The port was a bustling but relatively remote settlement, well away from the usual Hunter haunts and so relatively safe to visit-as long as Astrid left Stormfly outside the village and disguised herself. But few paid any attention to the cloaked Viking woman, the axe slung confidently across her back as she walked through, pausing at the stalls and buying a few provisions, carefully bartering for the goods and exchanging fish Stormfly had caught for chicken, bread, dried fruit and some salves.

But she paused as she passed the forge, the familiar scents of burning wood, of hot metal, of sweat and leather causing her to freeze and close her eyes. The clang of metal on metal, rhythmic and echoing, reminder her of stolen hours with him, in the forge after Gobber had gone home or in the little back room or latterly, in his own forge on the Edge. Of his bright smile and sparkling emerald eyes and clever, nimble hands. And her throat had thickened and heart shuddered at the thought she would never see him again. There was a pause and the sounds of the clangs stopped.

"Can I help you, Miss?" a strange voice said. She blinked and her head snapped round as the smith walked froward, his rough-hewn face concerned. She stared into his blue eyes and tanned face. Forcing a smile on her face, she handed over her axe and produced a concealed sword and her knives.

"Would it be possible to get these sharpened please?" she asked and he stared at the axe as he reverently took it, weighing it and feeling the perfect balance.

"Thor, this is a beautiful weapon," he murmured and she nodded. "If I may ask, what smith made this?" Her eyes softened.

"The Berk Smith," she murmured and the man's eyes widened.

"Gobber the Belch?" She chuckled at his shocked words. It was easy on isolated Berk to forget that Gobber was a well-respected smith across the entire Archipelago.

"This was actually his apprentice's work," she admitted and the man stared in shock.

"How could an apprentice manage such work?" he asked in a reverent voice and she smiled.

 _Because he loved me,_ she thought and then she looked up, her eyes melancholy. "He was brilliant," she murmured. "Gentle and inventive and kind and-and brilliant." The man looked up, hearing the sorrow in her voice and reaching the right conclusion.

"I'll attend to it straight away, Miss," he promised and turned away, carefully taking the weapons to the grindstone. Sighing, Astrid leaned against the counter-and then she started as she heard a very familiar voice.

"Miss Astrid? Well bless my beard! Fancy seeing you so far from the fair isle of Berk!"

She turned and stared at the shape of Trader Johann, his amiable face smiling at her, his eyes searching her face for an explanation. She shrugged.

"I am out here looking for the people who hurt Hiccup," she told him in a low voice. "What are you doing here, Johann?" The Trader made an expansive gesture, his garish costume and loud voice standing out in the small town.

"Ah, out here in Nog End, my wares are appreciated all the more for the infrequency of my visits and of course, the entertainment of my tales of adventure," he explained, his voice as amiable as ever. "As the Khazi of Kalabar once said to me, Johann, your tales are the most exquisite window on the wide realm of Midgard. Or Earth…I forget which…" Suppressing the desire to roll her eyes and sigh, Astrid listened politely because she was still keen not to attract attention-though Johann was, as usual, drawing a crowd. Astrid leaned back against the wall of the forge, jerking her hood up to conceal her face.

"Have you heard where Krogan or Viggo Grimborn are?" she hissed. The Trader looked offended.

"Miss Astrid-the very thought that I would deal with such terrible people-especially after what they did to poor Master Hiccup…" he protested and then he paused. "How is he, by the way?" There was a pause and she looked away.

"The antidote didn't arrive in time," she said quietly and the man gasped.

"Oh, you must forgive my thoughtlessness," he exclaimed. "I am truly sorry for your loss. It was obvious to even the most casual observer that you and he were in love and shared such a bond…" He patted her arm aimlessly. "I had hoped to be asked to help provide the exotic delicacies for your wedding feast…at cost price, no cut for me at all…but now…" Astrid blinked.

"Yes-and so all I have now is revenge," she said. "And you're going to help me, Johann!"

"Of course, Miss Astrid," he said humbly. "Maybe we can wait until your weapons are serviced and then you can explain what assistance you wish of this humble Trader…" Astrid scowled at him and leaned closer.

"And the first thing you are going to do is take me to Viggo and Krogan," she breathed.

"I am?" he gulped. "Did I tell you that I have an appointment to deliver good hardy Berkian wool to the Emir of Araby? And if I don't leave now, I may get caught in the winter storms and lose the commission…?" Astrid grabbed his arm and leaned close.

"Odin damn it, you will help me, Johann!" she said in a cold voice and the man hunched meekly.

"Of course," he said, backing down immediately. "Is the Chief in charge of this mission?"

"It has his blessing but no, I am on my own out here," she told him as she turned back to the smith and gratefully accepted her beautifully-sharpened weapons, handing over a small gold coin for the service-but the man handed it straight back.

"I don't want your money, Miss," the man said honestly. "It is a privilege to attend to such weapons. By Odin, they are of such quality any King would want them for his trip to Valhalla! Your apprentice is a talented man."

"He was," Astrid murmured sadly and then smiled briefly at the man. "And thank you." He nodded and turned back to his abandoned work, the clang of meal once again ringing through the forge. Silently, Astrid fell in step alongside Johann and they wove through the crowds until the reached a small tavern. Johann chivalrously directed her to a table and went to fetch them both an ale, returning with a bland smile on his face and carefully seeing a mug in front of each of them. He sipped his and sighed.

"Nog End may be an absolute pain to get to-but they do have very fine beer," he admitted and Astrid took a sip-and then a larger one. It was indeed a very pleasant, light taste-very different from the dark, turbid beer that Mulch and Bucket brewed on Berk. Johann sat back and smiled. "So tell me how you have been getting on," he invited her. "And of course, I am happy to carry any messages back to Berk." Nodding, Astrid briefly summarised her travels and the destruction she had already wrought.

"If you go back to Berk, please send word to the Chief that I have sunk many of the Hunter ships and taken out one of their auction sites and the entire Hunter village," she ended. Johann stared at her, sipping his ale and then steepling his fingers.

"My goodness," he commented. "You have been astonishingly busy. You have sunk how many Hunter ships now?"

"Thirteen," she reported. "Though I am not sure that Viggo is aware because I didn't leave any survivors. And that doesn't count the ships moored at the auction or at the Hunter village."

"And you erased that from existence entirely, slaying all but a few women and children?" he breathed and stared at her. She nodded.

"They were his enemies," she said evenly. "They had him branded as Hunter property. Now there are no Hunters so no one can ever claim his body. He is mine and mine alone."

"And now you are seeking Krogan and Viggo-and their remaining forces…presumably to annihilate them as you have the others?" he checked and she nodded.

"I need to know where they are-so I can plan my attack," she said. "I need to figure out how to avoid the Fliers-or disable them. And take them down…permanently…while not harming the dragons…" She took another sip of her ale, her throat dry from the explanation.

"A difficult task since Krogan is extremely ruthless and is an accomplished Flier and tactician," Johann commented, his tone harder. "And he will be on his guard since you have already wiped out about two thirds of my ships with your efforts."

Astrid blinked, her eyes feeling unaccountably heavy as she peered at Johann. Her vision was starting to swim and she thought her ears were playing tricks on her as well.

"Your ships?" she repeated. He nodded.

"Is your head swimming, my dear?" he asked her, the whimsy dropping from his voice and being replaced by a callous edge that was familiar from the many enemies that Astrid had faced in her years as a Dragon Rider. She nodded, focussing all her energy on trying to lock on the voice that seemed to be coming in and out of earshot, like noises heard from underwater. "That would be the drug I put in your ale. It was a shame to waste such a quality beverage-not that I expected a savage like you to appreciate the complexities of the brew-but you really seem to be far too dangerous to my operation to allow to roam free any more…"

"Your operation?" she asked in a slurred voice. He smiled like a shark.

"I am afraid I have expanded my portfolio from just trade-which was only ever a means to an end-to my true calling," he said. "I am a man who is not without my own steel. I got my ship, name and tales from real Traders who I encountered and slew some years ago-to enable me to come to this territory and cultivate the persona. After all, who looks at Johann? Johann with his ridiculous tall tales and outrageous clothes. Who suspects Johann, everyone's friend, always meek and servile and _humble_ …" The last word was spat in disgust. "Who suspected Johann of being the mastermind behind the Hunters and Krogan's Fliers, the one who has them all looking for clues to the King of Dragons, a beast so fearsome that it can control all other dragons with only the power of its mind? A dragon like that would give the man who controlled it ultimate power…but your idiot 'Master Hiccup' wouldn't break and would not hand over the lenses I need to display the location of the beast. And I know my men tried to break him."

Her eyes widened in shock, her fuzzy brain making the connections far too slowly. He smirked, his eyes cruel.

"Yes, I watched them torture him," he said without any emotion. "It was an interesting intellectual challenge, trying to break a young man who is so physically unimpressive…pretty and stronger than he looks but in the end, just a young man. It was a strain not to show myself but I had to cover the percentage that he could be rescued…and I could not jeopardise what I had built up and carefully crafted over so many years for a few moments of pleasure flaying that arrogant, interfering, sarcastic smart-mouthed…boy!"

"You're a monster…" she mouthed. Johann smiled and snapped his wrist, a knife appearing in his hand from a holster clearly concealed in the puffy, impractical striped arms of his tunic.

"When he was blindfolded and strapped to the chair, I took pleasure in stabbing this into his stump," he said sadistically. "I took pleasure in watching his blood flow, in hearing him scream and in thinking of how we could use dragons to hurt him. Dragon spines are very sharp and very supple-perfect for scoring the boy's hide. And it was amusing to see him cringe when he saw the men approach him with parts of his beloved dragons." He moved the knife so it reflected the light. "But I can't let you leave. Even though Hiccup is dead, the Riders may be a nuisance…unless they remain ignorant of anything out here until it's too late."

His arm moved in a blur but Astrid had chewed at her cheek while he was talking and the pain had cleared her vision enough to hear the prelude to attack, She was already moving sideways as the knife sliced through where she had been and she felt a hot pain in her side. If she hadn't moved, it would have buried in her heart. She staggered sideways and grabbed her axe, swinging it round to parry the second knife. Grabbing the ale, she threw it into his face and stumbled out into the Plaza.

"Stop her!" Johann yelled. "She's stolen my money!"

Head still spinning, Astrid glared over her shoulder at the man and threw a stool from the nearest table at him, making him duck and allowing her the chance to break into the Plaza. Men were looking at her and starting to converge, so she there back her head and gave her best Nadder roar. Modulating it to distress, she roared again, causing the would-be good citizens to back off a pace in confusion. And then there was an answering caw as Stormfly zoomed in low over the huts, pausing only long enough to spray a fan of spines in front of the men to drive them further back and then touch down for her to throw herself into the saddle. Johann was emerging from the tavern as Astrid leaned drunkenly over the Nadder's neck.

"Go, girl-and hurry!" she slurred, pressing her hand to her side and feel the hot, sticky sensation of blood. They accelerated into the sky, speeding directly out to sea, away from any weapons or pursuit and as she slumped forward, Astrid cast a shocked glance over her shoulder.

_Johann was a traitor._

_Scratch that. Johann was the enemy. THE enemy. The LEADER of the enemies, even above Viggo and Krogan._

_And no one in Berk knew or suspected…and wouldn't until it was too late._

oOo

_His fingers were bleeding, the jagged rock digging brutally into his skin but he pushed on, his concern for Astrid forcing his exhausted and broken body on. His hand slipped and he clung on desperately, bracing his legs against the walls and trying not to fall. His chest was scorching with every breath, his limbs shaking and he knew that he probably wouldn't make it but the image of Astrid being hauled back by Krogan was enough to keep him struggling._

_Suddenly, his hand reached out and found nothing but the ground at the top of the pit and his heart leapt with hope, his fingers curling into the earth. Somehow, he managed to lever himself up and eventually, he lay panting on the ground by the pit, his beaten body heaving. Slowly, he raised his head and looked around, his vision still blurred with the effort. He was in a cave at the far end of the fortress, the cool surroundings isolated. And then he grimaced: his prosthetic was gone and the stump was a mess, the skin ripped and torn, burns and scars wrapped around the already sensitive area. It was excruciating anyway but he needed to get up and save her so he ignored the pain from that and all his other wounds and made himself scramble to his feet-foot. And then, leaning against the rocky wall, he quietly hopped towards the passage._

_It was eerily deserted as he hopped along, finding a discarded sword which he gratefully used as a crutch. Silently, he shuffled forward until he found himself at the door of a large space-and as he peered in his heart shuddered._

_Astrid was pinned down as Krogan ravished her. She was struggling, trying to rip her arms from his grasp and turn her face away from him but he was persisting, his low voice taunting her that she was so weak and vulnerable. Her eyes swept over where he was standing, the blue swimming with a silent plea-and he staggered forward, grabbing her discarded axe and swinging furiously at Krogan. The clang sounded as his own sword parried and slammed him back off his feet as Krogan turned to face him, leering scornfully._

_"_ _Ah-the brave protector," he sneered. "Running to save your woman…" His eyes glittered with malice. "Too late!" There was the gleam of torchlight on metal as a knife raised-and then plunged into her body._

_"_ _NO!" Hiccup's scream was raw and desperate and he lunged forward, the axe clanging against the parrying sword. But as Krogan laughed at his adversary, the sword Hiccup had used as a crutch slid straight into his chest._

_There was a silent moment as the sallow man stared-and then toppled sideways. Tossing the bloody sword aside, Hiccup crawled to her side and pulled himself up to his one leg, staring into Astrid's face._

_"_ _Hey," he murmured. She managed the flicker of a smile._

_"_ _Sorry," she murmured. "I-I couldn't manage to stop him…" Forcing a smile onto his face, he stared into her beautiful eyes and stroked her cheek tenderly._

_"_ _It's okay," he assured her, gently stroking a wisp of hair from her face. "We're free now." She gave a slight smile, her lips white._

_"_ _But…I'm going to have to leave you," she whispered. "I'm sorry…"_

_"_ _Oh nonononono," he whispered, leaning close. "Milady, I need you. You can't leave me. I can't imagine a world without you. I can't live in a world without you…" Her hand reached up to press gently against his battered cheek._

_"_ _I'm always with you," she whispered. "Stay with me, babe…"_

_He blinked, his eyes stinging._

_"_ _Astrid-please hold on…" he begged her, stroking her face._

_"_ _Hold on, Hiccup," she murmured as he clutched her hand-and then he glanced up at a familiar warble._

_"_ _Toothless? How…?"_

_The Night Fury nudged hard against him and he felt a smile crack his face. as Toothless smiled eagerly at his Rider._

_"_ _Bud, I'm so glad to see you," he breathed and turned to embrace the dragon, breathing in the familiar scent and allowing the warmth and sense of safety to seep into his body. But when he glanced back, the table, Krogan and Astrid had all vanished. "Astrid?" he breathed and then he cast around. They were standing on a cliff, his prosthetic still missing but he was free. Toothless warbled and Hiccup threw himself into the saddle, his body still wrecked and shivering but back on Toothless, he felt back to himself. He leaned forward._

_"_ _Come on, bud-we need to find Astrid," he said._


	10. Calm

**Ten: Calm**

Astrid awoke and her eyes slammed open, her brow furrowed and feeling panic grip her as she realised she was in an unfamiliar room. The grey stone walls gave little clue and as she moved, she winced, stitches in her side pulling as she sat up. Grimacing, she pressed her hand to the wound and felt a bandage wound expertly around the injury. And then she frowned: her head was pounding and she felt hung over from whatever drug Johann had fed her…

Her head snapped up and she peered around. _Stormfly? Where was her dragon?_

Grimacing, she forced herself to her feet, finding her boots and skirt resting on the plain table and pulling her clothes on. She swayed and rested a hand against the wall for a second before she turned to the plain door and cautiously opened it.

The first thing she saw was Stormfly, roosting by the door, her head down and sleeping and the girl felt a smile lift her lips. The dragon must have brought her somewhere safe when Astrid passed out-and as she looked around the grey stone houses and the familiar column in the centre of the Plaza. And the black hooded shapes that moved through the village with purpose, occasionally looking over and nodding quiet greetings to the familiar and welcome visitor.

"Astrid Hofferson!" The familiar voice caused her to turn cautiously and she met the light brown eyes of Throk, Queen Mala's right hand warrior and the most fierce guardian of the Great Protector-the Eruptodon dragon that protected the island from the active volcano. The tall, buff man bowed his head, the light catching his red hair and Astrid frowned.

"How did I get here, Throk?" she asked in a puzzled voice. He walked to her side and gestured to the sleeping Nadder.

"Your dragon," he explained. "She flew you here, unconscious and bleeding from a deep wound to your side. You were attacked and it seemed you had been drugged?" She nodded, stepping down off the step and glancing at Stormfly.

"She knew we needed somewhere safe-somewhere that Trader Johann doesn't know about…" she murmured.

"Trader Johann?" Throk's deep voice was puzzled.

"A travelling Trader," she explained. "He sails from island to island, bartering goods and exchanging gossip and some ridiculous tall tales…" And then her face hardened. "But it's all a lie. He is the one behind Viggo and Krogan. He is the man in charge-and he's been manipulating us, hiding in plain sight for years. And he still sails into every port, trusted and ignored and he can see our defences, hear our plans and count our numbers. When I told him what I had done, he tried to kill me because I've already done such damage to his operation."

The tall man nodded gravely.

"I think you should come with me," he suggested gravely. "We should get you some food to eat and then you need to talk to Mala. Maybe she can offer you a place to stay for the moment…" Sighing, Astrid shook her head.

"If I stay here, he will find me eventually," she murmured. "He's looking for me now-and Viggo knows where you are. I can't put you at risk." Throk walked at her side across the grey cobbled Plaza as he accompanied her to the refectory.

"Pardon me-I don't understand why you cannot simply return home to the other Riders?" he asked and then she stopped, staring up at the shape of the dragon on the column before she closed her eyes.

"Hiccup is dead," she said.

oOo

"I'm glad you're alive," Snotlout said, sitting bolt upright in the chair by Hiccup's bed. He had sneaked in while everyone else was out and had run into Stoick-literally. Rebounding and landing on his ass in the main area of the Chief's House, the stocky rider had looked up at his uncle and gulped.

"What are you doing here, Snotlout?" Stoick asked gruffly as Snotlout scrambled up and dusted himself down. He was good at landing on his ass-well, Hookfang wasn't the most well-behaved dragon though Snotlout wouldn't swap him for the world. Self-consciously, Snotlout rubbed his arm.

"I wanted to see how Hiccup was," he mumbled, wondering why he was sounding like an awkward teen all of a sudden. Stoick suddenly smiled and glanced over at his motionless son. He and Gobber had just finished washing and changing Hiccup and they had managed to get some water and thin gruel down him…but he was looking thinner and the wounds from his torture were still angry and inflamed.

"He's steady," he revealed, though there was a note of sadness in his voice. "You and your friends have been very good in visiting him, chatting to him and trying to cheer him up but he's still unresponsive and Gothi can't tell me what may happen." He sighed. "I'm sorry-you don't need to know all of that."

"No…he's my cousin and I want to know," Snotlout said suddenly, his blue eyes candid. "I came here to spend time with him because he would do it for me, the muttonhead. I know he would really want to be out flying Toothless and feeling free amid the clouds…but he's here, so sick and I feel terrible that he was captured and we couldn't get him back quick enough to stop this happening." And then he jumped as Stoick rested his huge hand on Snotlout's brawny shoulder.

"Thank you, Snotlout," he said and there was definite approval in his voice. "I'll leave you with him."

So Snotlout was here, sitting gazing at his sick cousin, his leader, his _friend_ …and struggling what to say. It was no secret that he and Hiccup hadn't been close for a long time, that he had bullied and beaten his little cousin-though Hiccup was in fact a few months older than Snotlout, a fact that had galled Snotlout for the longest time for no apparent reason. Hiccup couldn't control the fact he was older, smaller or smarter and he certainly never bragged about any of those things, as Snotlout would have. Instead, he was lively, full of energy and inexhaustibly curious. He would always help and worked hard in the forge while Snotlout had been focussed on training, winning Thawfest and any other competitions between him and his peers for his own glory and throwing his weight around. Spitelout, his father, had encouraged his son to bully and undermine his cousin, made Snotlout the perfect buff Viking son to exacerbate the differences between what Stoick and Spitelout had as Heirs and had spent years trying to persuade the Chief to replace his son as Heir.

Stealing a glance at the motionless shape, Snotlout sighed. He did feel ashamed for how he had behaved towards his cousin, especially since Hiccup had included him when he had trained dragons and headed to Dragon Island to save the village. Seeing his little cousin with the dragons and how calm and in control he was, Snotlout had been shocked and astonished. And a little jealous as well when he got over the shock of the battle. In his heart, he knew that Hiccup was far better at riding and training dragons than any of them, his skills in the saddle and his willingness to share his revelations and his tricks with them far more generous than any of them would be. And Snotlout knew he had been a very difficult subordinate and comrade for much of the time.

He leaned close.

"I'm glad you're not dead," he repeated, "because I need to say this." He took a deep breath. "I-I'm sorry, Hiccup. I'm sorry you're here, so sick. I'm sorry I've been a pain. I'm sorry I treated you badly when we were younger. I'm sorry."

Hiccup lay still, the slight rise and fall of his chest remaining rhythmic and slow.

"You know, after the deal with Alvin and the Screaming Death went down, Astrid sat me down and told me about Alvin and Stoick, how they used to be friends and how Al disobeyed orders and ended up outcast. And though I hit on her-and she hit me pretty hard-she managed to make me understand how similar we were. Except you aren't your Dad. I was a pain-and I've carried on because I always think I know best. And I don't, I really don't…but I'm trying." He clasped his hands. "And I'm sorry about you and Astrid as well. I mean, I kept imagining she would want me when it's pretty clear that she's been yours for years-even if you didn't have the nerve to do anything for years!" He rolled his eyes. "Gambling. What was I thinking?" he muttered.

The soft sounds of Hiccup's breathing was the only reply.

"Yeah, I know," Snotlout sighed. "And I'm gonna continue supporting you when you wake…and maybe try to be less of a muttonhead…though my Dad does go down to the docks and bludgeon himself over the head for fun so I may not always succeed." He sighed. "And if you don't wake, Uncle Stoick may make me his Heir and that would almost certainly doom the Tribe…"

Toothless gave a small warble, raising his head to look at the stocky boy. Snotlout rolled his eyes.

"Toothless misses you as well," he added. "Hookfang, Windshear, Meatlug and Barf'n'Belch are keeping him company. Fishlegs has taken him flying. And I know Toothless misses Astrid and Stormfly as well…because she left. I think she's gone on some kind of vengeance quest against the Hunters, Viggo and Krogan. I think she thinks you didn't make it. And I know we need to find her…if we only know where she is…"

He squeezed Hiccup's hand and then turned to the door. But as he tried to turn away, he realised Hiccup was tightly gripping his hand.

oOo

_Hands tight around the edge of the saddle, Hiccup felt Toothless accelerate into the clouds and for once, he felt a shiver of anxiety. With his leg missing, he didn't have the security of being clipped into the saddle and tail and images of falling on that first flight and when the Red Death's tail struck him him flashed through his mind. Body clamped around the Night Fury, Hiccup felt his heart rate accelerate and he was astonishingly tense…but then the wind rushed through his hair and past his face and he lifted his head and closed his eyes, feeling the freedom and the sudden sense of weightlessness as Toothless soared and dived, riding the air currents like the perfect aeronaut he was._

_"_ _How'm I doing, bud?" Hiccup asked him, his hands cold against the wind. He felt rather than heard the rumble the dragon made in reply and Toothless angled his head slightly so that Hiccup could see the green eye peer at him. There was a flick of the ears that had Hiccup smiling, the feeling of familiarity washing over him. "Yeah-I know but in my defence, I have been imprisoned and tortured for the last couple of weeks…"_

_There was a sad warble and Hiccup rested his cheek against the black scales of Toothless's neck._

_"_ _I know, bud," he murmured. "I know you were scared. I know you would have fought them, even giving up your life to get me free…but I had to protect you and the others. I was scared I would never see you again…and that almost broke my heart, bud, because you're my best friend." He sighed. "You're the one person I can always rely on. You and Astrid. You were there for me when I lost everything. And I need you both to be myself once more."_

_Toothless cooed._

_"_ _Yes-and Stormfly as well," Hiccup smiled as they swooped tight around the sea stacks and zoomed low across the waves. Hiccup felt himself hunched and he moved his foot to adjust the tail apparatus. "I know where we find Viggo and Krogan, we'll find Astrid. I just know it."_

_Toothless gave a croon that sounded distinctly unimpressed but the Night Fury accelerated forward, zooming over the deep grey-blue sea, the white-capped waves rearing up at the rider amid the cold breeze, ominous purple and iron-grey clouds scudding across the threatening sky. Hiccup closed his eyes as the lightning flashed, the brilliance visible through his eyelids._

_"_ _Hold on," he murmured. "Hang on Milady. I'm coming…"_

_And then Toothless pulled up and Hiccup had to hang on tightly with his legs as the Night Fury back-winged furiously, a growl vibrating through his body. For before them hung the unmistakeable shape of the Skrill, lightning arching around his grey and purple body, his yellow eyes locked on the auburn-haired rider and the Night Fury._

_There was a pause as the two dragons faced one another, growling and glaring until, with an explosion of lightning, the Skrill attacked…_

oOo

Nodding, Mala sat back as Astrid finished explaining her story and looked over at Throk. Her right hand man was looking as grim as ever and the Queen of the Defenders sometimes wondered if he would do better allowing himself to express the caring person he was under his flinty exterior-but Throk was traditional and his role as her first protector was serious…and so was he. Then she looked back at the Dragon Rider standing in front of her, her back straight and chin raised proudly, for all that her tunic was damaged and her side bandaged from a knife wound.

"I grieve for your loss," Mala said. "Hiccup Haddock was a most remarkable man and a true friend to dragons. Without his intervention, we would not have our New Protector and our island would have been destroyed. We will tender you whatever aid you require in your personal quest to avenge his death."

Astrid blinked. She had intellectually rationalised that Hiccup had died, that his life had ended because he didn't receive the antidote by the deadline that Gothi had given and she had grieved for him at the sunrise by which he must have perished…but hearing the words spoken by another, hearing the word 'death' in Mala's clipped tone just brought the reality home. She realised that she had probably clung onto the tiny sliver of hope, against all reason and probability, that Hiccup had found a way to cheat Hela once more. And that, in truth, was why she left. She didn't want to see him dead, didn't want to lose that tiniest hope that one day, she may see him once more. And though she said the words, though she emotionlessly carried out her vengeance, she realised that she still clung onto hope.

And when Mala said he was dead, that hope wavered catastrophically.

She bit her lip and nodded, willing herself not to betray the wave of despair that hit her and took a deep breath. "Thank you," she said. "I just need some provisions and maybe a couple of weapons…because I cannot let them get away." Throk frowned.

"Should we be concerned that this Trader Johann is aware of your mission?" he asked thoughtfully and Astrid sighed and nodded.

"From what he said, it is clear that he is the commander of Krogan and his Fliers as well as Viggo and the remaining Hunters," she said. "They will know I am after them now…if they didn't before…"

"More pertinent, he may strike at those you care for," Mala added as the girl pressed a hand to her side.

"Coward," she breathed and then she breathed out. "I trust the Chief and the Riders to protect the village, Mala. And the enemy has so many fewer ships and soldiers now…" Mala sighed.

"I would not have believed one single dragon rider could inflict such damage…but I am aware of your abilities and those of your dragon," she said. "And while I cannot condone your desire to wreck bloody vengeance-it is not the Defenders' way-I can understand your anger at the murder of your Betrothed." Astrid bit her lip again.

"He may come after you," she warned the Queen. "Viggo knows where you live and that you are our allies…I should go…" Immediately, Throk stepped forward, her eyes serious.

"The Defenders stand by our allies," he told her. "We will protect you while you need it and we will fight at your side." Astrid sighed.

"I would just be grateful for some provisions and a few weapons…especially bows and swords…so that I can finish it," Astrid told him and then sighed. "But I would be grateful for a safe place to stay tonight…" Mala lightly rested a hand on her shoulder and smiled at her.

"Stay as long as you want," she told the Rider. "We are here for you-in memory of our ally."

oOo

"Pssst! Are you awake?" Tuffnut popped up beside the bed and poked the motionless Hiccup. Lying still and peaceful, his breathing slow and easy, Hiccup didn't move. Undeterred, the male twin leaned until his mouth was right by the patient's left ear. "I SAID…CAN YOU HEAR ME?" he bellowed at the top of his voice. Toothless looked up from his slab and growled at the male twin.

"I think they can hear you in Jotunheim, Niflheim, Muspelheim and Asgard!" Ruff nut told him, popping up the other side of the bed. "And maybe even in Gothi's hut…"

"Agh!" Tuffnut ducked down behind the bed, looking around worriedly. "Is she here?" His sister chuckled. Gothi had been after Tuff for days, since he foolishly asked her if he could try to wake Hiccup up…well, bet the Elder than he could wake Hiccup when no one else could. And while Ruffnut had no doubts that her brother, left to his own devices, almost could wake the dead-except the Glorious Dead who had been cremated-Hiccup wasn't dead and it didn't seem fair to make him deaf as well as whatever else Viggo had left him with. To Ruff's mind, it didn't seem fair anyway. Hiccup had already given up a leg for the village, been ostracised, struck by lightning, been captured, tortured, hunted by dragons and bounty hunters, shot off his dragon and pestered and annoyed by the gang for the entire time since they had first trained dragons and through it all-though sometimes clearly extremely exasperated, he had remained their friend.

Quietly, she took his hand, feeling the warm skin with the callouses from his work in the forge but no motion and she felt a thrill of disappointment. Snotlout had been full of tales that Hiccup had squeezed his hand and Stoick had been dismissive because his son remained unconscious…but Snotlout had been really convincing for once. So she leaned forward and wrapped her arms around the skinny shape, feeling the gentle rise and fall of his chest.

"Thanks for being such a good friend,' she murmured in his ear. "Thanks for saving us. Thanks for making sure we got Barf'n'Belch back. And thanks for always making sure we are part of the group-no matter how crazy we are."

Tuffnut wrapped himself around Hiccup's other side, making sure he was safely wrapped between the twins.

"Thorston sandwich," he added, his tone more serious. "We're here for you, Hiccup And we need you back soon, my friend. T is really missing you. I mean, he's the cutest dragon in the world-obviously-but he's not eating properly and won't fly with anyone after that one time with Fish. He needs you. We need you. The village needs you. And Astrid needs you-because she believes that you're dead."

"Come back to us, Hiccup," Ruff murmured, tightening her hug. "Come home."

Toothless gave an affirmative croon as the twins continued their hug and unseen to them, his lips, very gently, tilted up in a smile…


	11. The Bigger Picture

**Eleven: The Bigger Picture**

_Lightning crackled around the Skrill as it brushed past Toothless and Hiccup found himself ducking, the hairs on the back of his neck standing up as the static washed over him. The Night Fury effortlessly flipped and dived down towards the water, knowing the Skrill avoided water as a matter of course because it prevented the dragon from utilising its electricity. Snapping a quick look over his shoulder, Hiccup leaned into the turn and saw the Skrill chasing after him, his eyes wide with surprise before he got his game face on. Somehow, despite the fact he was still injured and down a leg, he was feeling more like himself, his mind clicking through the probabilities and a grin stretching his battered face._

_"_ _Head for those seastacks-and the glacier behind them," he said in a low voice and they ripped across the waves. The roar closed as the Skrill raced after them, trying to collapse the lip of the glacier on the Night Fury as they tried to lure the other dragon in. The Skrill recalled being trapped in the ice for so long and tricked back by the same Night Fury that was facing it now…and anger rippled through its veins. A bolt of lightning seared past Hiccup and he yelled in pain as it scorched his thigh. He looked up in anger._

_"_ _Hey-you attacked us!" he shouted at it. "And I'm trying not to harm you. Thor-I released you when I should have trapped you again-because it wasn't going to be as bad as the Hunters. It wasn't your fault that we found you in the ice. It wasn't your fault that you were the symbol of the Berserkers and that Dagur wanted you to destroy us. You just wanted to be free. And we were wrong when we trapped you. I mean, I thought I was right when I did it because we couldn't let Dagur have you because he probably would kill us and destroy Berk if you were under his control…but it wasn't fair. I'm sorry."_

_The dragon stopped and glared at him. Toothless glared back, his pupils narrowed and body tensed, ready to fight. But Hiccup stared at the dragon and slowly reached forward, offering his hand._

_"_ _I'm sorry," he said. "I was willing to give my life to stop Ryker shooting you. So was Toothless. And if Odin wills it, I will continue to protect dragons-for as long as I am granted on Midgard."_

_The dragon paused, then flapped backwards, settling on the seastack. Toothless landed beside it, nuzzling it briefly before the Skrill bowed his head and then turned away, flapping off up into the clouds. Hiccup stared after it and then fumbled in Toothless's saddlebag, finding his spare leg. And despite the fact his stump was a horrendous mess, he strapped it on wth relief, gritting his teeth against the pain. No matter the discomfort, he hated being without the leg and feeling weak and useless, dependent on others. Sitting up straight, a small shiver running through him in the cold breeze, he stared at the horizon._

_"_ _Can you sense her, bud?" he murmured. Ears flicking, Toothless gave him a 'really?' look and warbled. Hiccup leaned forward. "Good," he said and clipped his prosthetic into the saddle. "Now let's go find Astrid!"_

oOo

The sounds of explosions and roars jerked Astrid from sleep, automatically reaching for her axe and wincing as she pulled the knife wound. Stormfly gave a desperate roar and she raced from her lodging-to see Fliers attacking the village, the Defenders running from the Singetails, for their beliefs would not conscience them attacking any dragon. Throwing herself into the saddle, she urged the Deadly Nadder into the air, determined to drive the Singetails away from the village-and then she saw them attack the main dais and blast apart Mala's throne.

She screamed and arrowed straight up at the Singetail's soft underbelly, spines stabbing into the much larger dragon's hide. It roared and peeled away, though two more took its place. But Astrid flipped round, directing Stormfly to loop the loop, her Rider clinging on with her knees and her axe swinging viciously, decapitating the two Fliers before they even realised she was aiming for them. Freed of their control-and Astrid noted once again the dragons were harnessed with chains and didn't seem at all concerned that their humans had been slaughtered-the Singetails broke off the attack and headed away. The remaining Fliers were still strafing the village and Stormfly swooped down, rolling to use her wing to shield a mother and child, running from their collapsing house. There were flames and screams. Mala and Throk were shepherding the villagers away, directing the bucket chains and trying to save what they had…and Astrid felt guilt crash around her.

"You want me-you come for me!" she yelled, spraying spines at the Singetails. They ducked away, many glancing off or not doing much damage through the large dragons' thick hides. Astrid felt despair swathe her: alone, she couldn't hope to beat the Fliers. But suddenly, there was a roar and a huge shape accelerated towards the Fliers, impervious to their most powerful explosions and though not especially fast, solid and unstoppable. Mala looked up, her eyes wide in shock.

"The Great Protector," she murmured, bowing her head slightly as the young Eruptodon-still several times larger than a Singetail-slammed straight through the attacking Fliers and drove them off the village. It roared ferociously and used its bulk to batter them away, its lava-proof hide completely impervious to their best efforts. Astrid swiftly orbited it and fired again at them, unseating a couple more Fliers who fell into the crowd of furious Defenders. Glancing down at the village and her allies-attacked because of her-she directed Stormfly down and dived through the now shattered roof of her lodging. Leaning down, she grabbed her pack, the discarded blanket and her other weapons and soared up, casting one last glance at the village before arrowing out to sea. And, as she hoped, the Fliers broke off the collapsing attack to follow her, leaving the damaged village under the hovering Great Protector.

She knew she could outfly them, for though the tetrapterous Singetails were much bigger, more aggressive and ferociously armed, Stormfly was faster and much more manoeuvrable. Securing her possessions and checking her axe was safe, she leaned low over her dragon's neck. Johann and the Fliers were hunting her now and there was no place that was safe.

"Come on, girl," she murmured. "Let's lose these monsters and go hunting. If Johann wants there to be no respite, I can make it cut both ways…and I have an idea…"

oOo

Dagur arrived on Sleuther at dusk, looking windblown and thoughtful. He greeted the Riders carefully, hugged his sister and immediately went to check on Hiccup and see Stoick. The Riders watched as he trudged up the hill, his eyes fixed on the House and he sighed.

Within, he found Stoick sitting by Hiccup's bed, gently dribbling a thin gruel over his dry, chapped lips. For a long moment, Dagur stared at the motionless shape and then he cleared his throat, partly elated that his friend was still alive and party concerned at how pale and sick the Hooligan Heir looked. Stoick looked up and frowned as he saw the shape at the door, momentarily reminded of the trouble this man had caused his son-before somehow-however improbably-Dagur changed his side, his character and his entire beliefs. He nodded.

"Dagur," he said guardedly.

"Stoick," the Berserker Chief greeted his host, not coming closer. "How is he?"

"Alive," Stoick answered evenly. "Against all hope, he's still alive. But he sleeps." Dagur folded his arms, trying to read between the lines.

"When he's going to wake?" he asked. "I can come back when…"

"He's not woken since he had the antidote, a week ago," the Chief said heavily. "We have managed to get fluids down him and washed and cared for him…but if he doesn't return to consciousness soon, he will die. I know he was out for a week after the Red Death…but he was fine before then. This time…he was poisoned and his body was collapsing even before he fell into unconsciousness."

"I'm sorry," Dagur said, feeling awkward. He had never felt comfortable with Stoick, ever since he had made his peace with Hiccup and the Riders. Stoick wasn't quick to forgive everything that Dagur had done to his son-and the Berserker was pretty certain that Hiccup didn't tell his father the half of what he had put the Riders through. But Hiccup had insisted that his father had sat down with Dagur and reaffirmed the peace treaty with the Berserker Tribe, using every ounce of his persuasion to stop his father from attacking his friend.

"Aye, well it wasn't your fault this time," Stoick grumbled and Dagur nodded.

"No-and if I could have stopped it, I would have," he said honestly. "He brought us together, he gave me a chance when I didn't deserve it…though he is incredibly determined and bone-headed. And strangely suspicious. From you, I guess?" Stoick looked up, gently stroking his son's forehead.

"He's a man who sees the good in others where I see only darkness-but he isn't a fool," he told the Berserker. "He has learned some lessons I rather he would not have-from you and that Viggo. I know things have happened to him that he hasn't told me but I know he considers you a friend. Please tell me you didn't know about this plan?" Dagur shook his head.

"If I had any inkling they planned this, I would have stopped it," he said quietly. "I know you hate when I call him 'brother' and I know he isn't…in blood. But he brought Heather and me back together and he gave me Shattermaster, my first dragon, and taught me to ride and train dragons properly. He gave me a chance. He looked after Heather when she-and they-all thought I had died attacking Viggo's ambush. They helped me get my Shattermaster back-and gave me the chance to meet Sleuther as well. And though he doesn't always listen to sense, he isn't that reckless. This was Krogan, not Viggo."

Stoick grunted, absently stroking the auburn hair.

"He looks so frail," he murmured. "And yes, I know he's far tougher than he looks, Dagur-but he's not eaten for over a week and his fever is only just settled. He has so many wounds that need to heal. And he's my son, my boy, the tiny baby I held in my hands, scared that he wouldn't survive. But then I heard that cry, so fierce and determined and the grip on my finger was so tenacious I knew he would be the strongest of them all. And I know I and Gobber and any other of my warriors would have died by now…but he's still fighting. He's fighting to be with Toothless and Astrid."

Dagur took a step forward, his green eyes serious.

"Where is she?" he asked. "I thought she wouldn't leave his side…"

"She's gone," the Chief said baldly. "When we had passed the last point where Gothi said that the antidote would work, where he was fading before our eyes, she swore her vengeance and went after them. She said she wanted to remember him as he was-alive, not as a funeral pyre. But he survived." Dagur walked to the other side of the bed and gently grasped Hiccup's hand.

"Hello, brother," he said in his normal, cheerful voice. "I knew you wouldn't leave us-you're far too stubborn. Now I think we need you to wake up. Because Astrid needs you." Stoick looked up.

"Dagur?" he asked. The Berserker took a seat and continued to hold Hiccup's hand.

"It's all rumours and whispers but people have seen wreckage…and bodies, floating on the seas. Hunters."

"Good," Stoick muttered. "About time…" But Dagur shook his head.

"No," he said calmly. "Not like this. There are refugees. A small number of women and children, of old men and one deposed Chief. The Dragon Hunter Tribe has been destroyed and they have renounced everything." At the words, Stoick started and stared at the younger Chief.

"How…?" he murmured.

"The village was destroyed and razed to the ground by a dragon attack-all Deadly Nadders, led by a blonde women who rode a dragon," he said.

"Astrid."

"Yes-and she told them in no uncertain terms that she would have slaughtered every single one, down to the last babe in arms-but that she was only sparing them because her Betrothed would have done so," he reported. "She made the former Chief sign a document for the council of Chiefs, declaring the tribe disbanded and that all their possessions were No Man's." Stoick's head turned and he stared at the still figure. Dagur inhaled sharply. "Oh please tell me they didn't…" he murmured as Stoick gently twitched the neck of the tunic open to reveal the pink faded brand, the only wound that had healed so far.

"Yes," Stoick murmured sadly. "And it doesn't surprise me that she would have made sure they were gone, that they suffered for making her beloved Hiccup, my son, _property_ …" He spat the word in anger and then calmed himself. "And the words mean he is freed. He is No Man's."

"You have my word this is a secret I will never betray," Dagur said in a low voice. "But Stoick, do you understand what this means?" The Chief nodded.

"Those of us who ride dragons-Hooligans, Outcasts, Berserkers-will be isolated and maybe feared by the others," he said grimly. "They may act against us-or make us sign Treaties never to use dragons in war against them."

"And to deal with the renegade," Dagur hissed. "I have already heard outrage and rumours. She's annihilated a dragon auction as well. Men have died. Some of them from the other Tribes…men on official business, in fact."

"Who were already breaking the pacts they signed with us over the last three years," Stoick reminded him. Dagur shook his head and ran his fingers through his short, spiky carrot red hair.

"They see watching a dragon fight as a bit of fun over which we will not go to war…but for one person-just _one_ -to lead a whole island worth of dragons and wipe out a Tribe…well, that's a level of threat that they may suddenly decide they can't stomach," he warned.

"Of course, my son would go to war over auctions, dragon fights and dragon hunting," Stoick sighed. "Which is why we are where we are…" Dagur shook his head.

"No-there's something more," he revealed. "Viggo survived and so did the DragonEye. Hiccup has built one of his own-which he hasn't revealed to them. They wanted his lenses…but we don't know for what. But Krogan is a ruthless enemy. He tried to buy Toothless at the auction where the riders were captured and he captured Hiccup when there was a bounty on him-he was the 'masked viking'. He rides a Singetail and he is utterly ruthless."

"A dangerous enemy," Stoick agreed, his eyes never leaving Dagur's face. "Why are you here?" Dagur sighed.

"Astrid is being hunted by Viggo and Krogan," he revealed. "Hunters have put a bounty on her. They want there to be no respite for her."

"Fishlegs received a Terror Mail from Queen Mala that they were attacked," Stoick mused. "I guess it was to stop Astrid receiving help…"

"Or to try to kill her…" Dagur murmured. "They may come here next." The Chief rested a hand possessively over his son's.

"They will get nowhere," he promised. "The Riders and Tribe will protect Hiccup and keep them away. Toothless won't leave his side." Dagur looked over at the Night Fury, still curled miserably a few yards from the bed and nodded.

"I'll feed him, if I may?" he asked. "I want to speak to hum as well…" Stoick raised his bushy eyebrows and stared at his fellow Chief. From the man who wanted the dragon's skull as a helmet to a Rider who wanted to talk to the dragon as an equal and fellow defender of Hiccup, sometimes he found the volte-face very hard to accept. But he was in no doubt that the Berserker was completely sincere.

"I'll stay with Hiccup," he promised as the Night Fury slowly got to his feet. It was obvious that the dragon had lost a lot of condition, spending almost all his time with his sick Rider. "Go, dragon. Eat. Fly. Keep yourself healthy-because Hiccup will need you. You may be his last hope if they do attack Berk." Staring into the Chief's face for a long moment, the Night Fury looked away and ambled to the door, making a crooning noise to Dagur as if inviting him to come along. The buff Berserker Chief got to his feet.

"We won't be long, brother-and I will make sure he eats properly and has a good flight before he comes back," he promised. And then he looked over towards the Chief of the Hooligans. "But I need you to think about one thing. What will you do, Stoick, if the Council of Chiefs asks you to stop Astrid? What will you do if they ask you to kill her for taking the vengeance that I know we all crave? Will you risk isolation or war for one vengeful Rider?"

Stoick waited until he had left with the dragon and the door had closed before he leaned close to his son, enclosing his limp hand in his huge grasp.

"We both know the answer, son," he murmured. "They have to fall…because if we leave them, they will come here and kill you. So I will risk it all to ensure that you and our dragons are safe…and that Astrid is allowed to finish her quest."


	12. Unexpected

**Twelve: Unexpected**

Astrid had actually returned to Caldera Cay once she had lost the Fliers and offered to help repair the damage from the Flier attack but Mala and Throk hadn't even considered the offer. They had not blamed her, for Viggo was their foe and needed little excuse to target Defenders' Isle but they knew their people were safer once was off the island. The Queen had reminded her that if she was in extremis, she should still return , for they were allies and they could never turn her away if she was desperate and they had generously resupplied her, given her medicines, instructions to treat her side (which had bled a little from the exertions of the aerial battle) and a wide selection of bows, crossbows and dart blowpipes that she had gratefully accepted. They had also supplied her with one of their uniforms, which she had gratefully received and already partially integrated into her outfit, to improve her ability to move unnoticed. And then she had left, her face cold and set, hating Viggo and Krogan more than ever for targeting innocents once more.

 _Isn't that what you did?_ she reminded herself as she settled on Stormfly for the flight back towards the Edge. But that was the Hunter Tribe, their support and recruiting base…and the people who profited while Berk starved. _They are the people who could have claimed Hiccup, who still keep slaves. So they deserved to be destroyed._

Then she rested her hand on the dragon's scaly shoulder, feeling the play of muscles as Stormfly faithfully headed home. She knew that she had to keep moving and that there was nowhere she could count as safe now. She certainly couldn't return to Berk because of the risks of Johann targeting her home and she knew she couldn't seek refuge with any other friendly tribe. She was on her own, with just her dragon-and her revenge.

Now she just had to hope that what she wanted was still on the Edge…

oOo

"I cannot believe you sat there and apologised to Hiccup while he was asleep and couldn't hear it!" Ruff told Snotlout as they sat in the Great Hall. The stocky rider glared at her and half-heartedly threw a chicken leg at her. She ducked, allowing her brother to grab it and start eating the missile.

"Twintuition," he mumbled. "Mmm. S'good chicken…" And then he realised what he was doing. "Agh! This is cannibalism!"

"Muttonhead," Snotlout grumbled. "Look, I couldn't wait until he woke up because he may never wake…or he could die. And I don't want him to die without my saying the words."

"But do they even count if he wasn't awake to hear them?" Ruffnut asked him pointedly.

"What if they don't?" Fishlegs asked worriedly, recalling his own confession. Heather patted his shoulder.

"Look, Hiccup is the most stubborn person we know-maybe tied with Astrid…" she said. "And I believe that if there is a way to return, he will find it."

"But what if it is cowardly to just say an apology when Hiccup is unconscious?" Fishlegs asked, his honest face troubled. "I mean, I might as well say the confession in my room to myself, for all the value it has." Snotlout gave him sideways look.

"I apologised to him-and I know he heard it, because when I went and apologised to him, he held my hand." Ruff rolled her eyes. "Really. His hand gripped mine. Really tightly."

"And now you'll think that because you made an apology when he was unconscious, you've done it," Ruffnut told him with devastating insight. "You'll feel the weight has lifted from your chest and the guilt has lifted and suddenly it's all okay?" Snotlout opened his eyes to scorch a retort and then he shrugged and shut his mouth.

"Um, yeah actually," he mumbled.

"I do believe that there is evidence that those who are unconscious and even in a coma, hovering in the twilight between life and death, are still able in some way to perceive sounds," Tuff announced. "Those waking can quote conversations, songs and even confessions…"

Snotlout gave a squeal.

"What seriously?" he squeaked. Tuff glanced at his sister and grinned.

"Oh yes," Ruff confirmed, nodding gravely. "People have overheard secrets spoken about them while unconscious and then used the knowledge to exact a terrible revenge on those who-it turned out-had wronged them and not had the courage to own up to their actions."

"Nonononono that can't be true…" Snotlout said hurriedly. Tuff nodded.

"And of course, when people wake from such severe illness, they may not be the same person hey were before," he explained in a sympathetic voice and then he sighed. "Berserker…"

"What-he'll want to move to live with Dagur and Heather?" Snotlout asked in a confused voice.

"Oh no-they become Berserkers, filled with rage and anger and an undeniable fury for revenge…" Tuff explained.

"I mean, you have had years-why didn't you apologise earlier?" Fishlegs asked Snotlout. The stocky rider bristled.

"Way I heard it, Fishface, you made a deathbed apology as well," he snarked. Fishlegs scowled, an unusual expression.

"I know he's forgiven me and we're best friends anyway," he retorted.

"But what if he wanted to say his piece," Tuff suggested, stirring the pot a little. "He may want both of you to apologise when he's awake to ask you why you behaved like you did?"

"How about you two?" Snotlout snarked. Ruff gave a nonchalant shrug.

"We apologised when Hiccup got Barf and Belch back for us," she admitted. "He was honest."

"Honest? What does honest mean?" Snotlout asked nervously, recalling what had happened when Hiccup finally lost his temper in exasperation at his cousin's antics and punched Snotlout unconscious with a single astonishing blow. Tuff chuckled.

"It may or may not involve Thor's Mighty Hammer…"

"…meeting your paper jaw," Ruff concluded, laughing.

"Just talk to him when he wakes up!" Heather said in exasperation, having listened to the debate with a mixture of amusement and impatience.

"If he wakes up," Fishlegs added quietly. There was a long moment of silence.

"Look, he's alive and if there is any chance of coming back to Berk, to Toothless and Astrid, Hiccup will find it," Heather said. "We just have to hope he wakes soon…because I have no idea what we would do if the Hunters attack now…"

oOo

The Edge was a mess. Somehow, in the time they had been gone, the Hunters had clearly attacked and torn the place apart, looking for Hiccup's DragonEye and his lenses-but she knew he had a range of incredibly innovative and secret hiding places. So she was confident that they hadn't got what they needed-but she looked around with sadness at the damage to their home, their outpost. Hiccup's hut was worst damaged, mostly wrecked and blasted-clearly the work of the Singetails-and though she knew it wasn't their fault, she found herself beginning to hate the huge, powerful and aggressive dragons.

Stormfly gave a sad croak as they circled, seeing the twin's hut almost burnt to the ground, Snotlout's smashed and his 'S' broken and Fishlegs' tranquility rock garden callously ruined. Gently pressing a hand to her dragon's neck, Astrid found herself sighing.

"I know, girl," she murmured as she swung round to see her hut ruined as well, the roof half smashed and one wall blasted. "I know." And they circled and then landed on the platform outside the Clubhouse which looked relatively intact…until she went inside and found everything smashed and broken. Clearly Krogan and his men had been looking for lenses with no success. Shaking her head, she checked in the stores and collected some more dried yak jerky, fruit and biscuit and flasks of water. There were some dried fish and she gave them to Stormfly as she travelled along the relatively intact walkways to her hut, steeling herself and finding her ordered home as wrecked as everywhere else, her few possessions scattered and ruined. Slowly, she dropped to a crouch by her spare bindings and peered at them, imaging Krogan or his men pawing her intimate garments-and then her face hardened. She dumped them in the fire pit and grabbed what she could salvage as well as all her weapons.

She travelled through the outpost, collecting what she needed from the armoury and the stores before she walked into Hiccup's hut. And it as only there that tears pricked her eyes as she saw his spare tails for Toothless ruined, his projects torn apart and plans burned. Everything he had created or made had been ruined by them in an act of wanton destruction. She gazed at the bed where she and he had sat and kissed, the stairs where they had talked, the fire before which they had snuggled and absently, she wiped her tears from her cheeks.

"No turning back," she murmured.

They flew over the Edge until they reached the cliff where Snotlout had discovered the small dragon root plants and as she had hoped, they were still there, more mature and fully leaved. Landing Stormfly at the top of the cliff, she carefully clambered down and gathered the roots, then climbed down to the beach with the kindling she had brought and pulped and boiled the mash. Stormfly croaked interestedly but she made sure that her dragon remained at a safe distance and didn't become affected by the vegetable. Quietly, she sat back and drew out the quivers of Gronckle iron-tipped arrows then methodically began to coat them with the dragon root paste. And then she gathered the rest, putting some into flasks and then carefully lifting the bowl containing the paste. She drew out some chicken and placed it on the ground, then walked carefully round her dragon as she began to eat her favourite meal and stood behind her dragon.

"It's okay, girl," she murmured. "This will definitely sort out the Fliers…" And she methodically began to coat Stormfly's spines with the DragonRoot.

oOo

_The storm was worsening and the rain and wind were lashing Hiccup as he and Toothless pressed on. Somehow, he was flying right into the teeth of the storm on nothing more than a hunch. But Astrid had vanished and Krogan had been there-so he was heading to where he knew Viggo had his bases, assuming they would be using one of them. Toothless seemed to know the way, his powerful wings carving through the storm and Hiccup hung on with all his remaining strength, his broken body aching. But the only concern in his mind was Astrid._

_Ahead of them, the jagged silhouette of the island rose slowly through the sheeting rain, the wind rising. Hiccup lay lower over the Night Fury and they forged forward, the misty shape resolving into the familiar outline of the base that the Riders had encountered when Viggo set a trap there. As they skimmed the surface amid the torrential rain, Hiccup looked down over the narrow harbour where Viggo had moored his ships and laid the ambush-which had taken Dagur. He blinked, rain streaming down his face. His stubbornness in not listening to Dagur, in not believing the other man had led him to attack on his own._

_Had led to his death._

_He closed his eyes and when he opened then, he saw the shape of a green Gronckle, floating face-down into the roiling sea. Beside him, the wrecked shape of a buff man with carrot-red spiky cropped hair floated, also face-down. Hiccup blinked._

_"Dagur!" he breathed and he directed Toothless to dive down, grabbing the man and looping up to land on the slick cliffs. Hiccup fell off the saddle and landed on his knees by his friend, turning the man over and seeing the wounds to his chest from missiles and arrows and then staring into the peaceful, slack face. "Dagur?" he murmured. But the man was still, his ashen face at peace and lips white. Hiccup was too late: he was dead._

_But Dagur was alive. His friend was alive._

_"This isn't real," the one-legged Viking murmured and blinked as Dagur vanished. He rubbed his temples urgently and glanced at Toothless. "You're not going to vanish on me as well, are you bud?" he murmured. Crooning, the dragon nuzzled him affectionately and curled around the young man. Closing his eyes, he extended his hand and immediately felt the warm scaly muzzle press into his hand. He smiled and opened his eyes, hugging the dragon fiercely. "I don't know what I would do without you," he murmured as the dragon flopped down by the young man and raised his wing, shielding him from the rain. For a long while. Hiccup lay there, draped over his dragon, listening to the Night Fury's heartbeat as the rain slowly slowed to a light drizzle._

_Finally, he sighed and scrambled to his knees._

_"We gotta find Astrid," he murmured. "I need her, buddy. I love her. And I know she needs me as well. Something has happened to her…" Then he swung his leg over the saddle and they launched into the damp sky._

_Arrows whistled around them and the rocks were replaced by stone battlements and towers. a fortress built of the very rock, jutting arrogantly against the bruised sky. Ballistas and archers flung a hail of Dragon Root arrows at Hiccup. They flipped and swooped, diving to avoid any contact with the missiles but as they looped up, a chain-net fired over them, fouling Toothless's wings. The Night Fury roared and thrashed, fighting against the trap but the links were dragon-proof and disabled, they crashed to the ground. Instantly, they were surrounded by Hunters with spears and crossbows and as the chain was pulled away, Toothless was roped up and Hiccup found his arms tied brutally behind his back. His battered shape was shoved along, limping painfully as they travelled into the fearsome grey stone fortress, up to the second level and the wide room with a balcony that allowed the leaders to stare at all they surveyed. Hiccup was cast on his knees before the three shapes and a hand grabbed his hair, forcing his head to look up._

_Krogan leered down at him, his scarred face cruel and the young Viking felt a shudder run through his body, recalling the tortures the man made him endure. He tried to control his breathing but it was no good-he knew the man could tell. He could_ always _tell. To his left stood Viggo, the man's scarred face unfamiliar and vaguely repellant…but the coldness of his expression mirrored the man's demeanour. He had enjoyed making Hiccup suffer as well._

_"You came back," he said in a disappointed tone. "How predictable. You know we're going to kill you, Hiccup? You are stupid to come here." He leaned forward. "Why?"_

_Hiccup looked into his eyes._

_"Where's Astrid?" he demanded. Krogan smiled and gestured behind him. A figure walked forward from the shadows, clad in the familiar uniform of the Hunters. The shape reached up and tugged off the helmet-revealing a coiled golden braid. Krogan chuckled._

_"Meet our new partner," he said as Astrid stood between the two men, Hiccup felt the breath freeze in his throat as she stared flatly at him. "And now, for your first loyalty test…kill him!"_

oOo

The ship almost slipped into port unnoticed as the Vikings carried on about their business. But of course, people always noticed and as Trader Johann lowered his gangplank, there were cries and shouts of excitement. As ever, the Trader treated all his clients with absolute professionalism, his never-ending chatter and inexhaustible supply of anecdotes familiar to anyone who dealt with him. Unflappable and courteous, he drove a hard bargain each and every time, sometimes taking money, other times choosing goods in payment and only when he had dealt with the initial customers did he walk up the ramps to the village, waving and greeting every person along the way. After all, Johann had visited Berk so many times that he was almost part of the Tribe.

Gobber waved a greeting and he waved back, drifting over to see the blacksmith.

"I seem to have misplaced my favourite eating dagger," he explained when Gobber asked why he was there. "And you are famed as the finest blacksmith across the Archipelago. Indeed, the last knife I bought from you was so fine in quality that it would have graced the courts of the Emir of Anubia and Baijan, who I visited during my extensive travels. Have I ever told you of the time when I strayed into his waters and was kept as a guest…well, jester…in his court for a year and a day? I only escaped by concealing my person in a large basket of cobras and had to gently hum to keep them calm for the three hours it took the servant to slowly carry me to the city walls…"

"Ah…no…" Gobber said quickly. "I must ha' missed out on that pleasure. A dagger, ye say, Johann? I may have one at the back…" The Trader folded his arms and watched as the two-limbed man scooted urgently deep into the forge, to emerge swiftly with a very fine slim dagger, the blade extremely sharp and finely finished. The man sighed. "This was one Hiccup made-I just finished it off. I am sure he would have wanted you to have it, Johann, You really helped him so many times in his adventures…" The Trader sighed.

"How is Master Hiccup?" he asked in a concerned tone as the blacksmith sighed.

"He's alive," he admitted. "But deep in a sleep. Gothi is confident he will wake…though she canna say when. Until then, he continues tae waste away…and the lad wasn't tae large tae start with." Johann nodded gravely, accepting the blade.

"Indeed, young Master Hiccup is certainly of the less heroic proportions…though he is certainly a strong and brave young man," he said. "I just hope and pray that he will be able to recover and resume his war against those awful dragon hunters." Gobber nodded, peering into the grey afternoon: it looked like drizzle, meaning he would need to help Stoick and Spitelout cover the hides drying on the cliffs.

"Yeah," he said. "They're terrible bad men-them and any who help them." Johann nodded.

"I concur with that judgement," he said sincerely. "Is the great Chief around so that I can pay my respects?" Gobber gave a small shake of the head.

"He's running the village and trying tae distract himself from the fact his son is hovering on the brink of death," he sighed.

"Then may I see Master Hiccup?" he asked. Gobber shook his head.

"He's very vulnerable," he said. "He needs rest and peace-because he still needs to heal from the terrible wounds that those fiends gave him."

"Of course," Johann said in an understanding voice.

"And of course, being so vulnerable, the Hunters could send anyone to assassinate him," Gobber said, lowering his voice and leaning close to Johann. The man nodded gravely.

"I shall listen out for any plots or threats with great diligence," the Trader said as Gobber ducked back and slammed the shutters down, then scurried for the cliffs to help the Chief. Watching him thoughtfully, Johann made his way up the village, helping Mrs Larson carry some fruit to her house and old Mrs Elofson get some chopped wood in before he headed for the Great Hall for some food…but no one saw him cut across and slide in through the front door to the Chief's House.

Forcing himself to be silent, he stared across the ground floor, seeing the fire burning low in the fire pit, keeping the room warm enough for the still shape in the bed, breathing quietly. A quick sweep of the room showed no signs of the Night Fury. "Good," he murmured. "Never liked that overgrown lizard." And then he flipped the dagger out expertly and inspected the blade.

"Hello, Master Hiccup," he said in his normal voice, the hard, ruthless tone that only Astrid had heard so far-a million miles from the obsequious tones of 'Trader Johann'. "It's a shame that you're here, all alone and vulnerable. But it's more of a shame that you didn't die of the poison. I was assured that it had no antidote…though I shouldn't be surprised at Grimborn's failure. It seems to be his defining trait, after all…" He walked forward. "I really can't have you surviving to resume your irritating habit of thwarting my plans and preventing my goals of becoming the most powerful man in the Archipelago. You and the rest of these idiots deserve death for everything that you have done."

He glanced around and the light glimmered off the perfectly keen edge of the dagger.

"It is almost a waste-because you are a talented blacksmith and this is an exceptionally fine blade-but I am afraid I am going to have to use your handiwork to end you," he said coldly. "All I need is to cut your wrist and allow you to quietly bleed out in the bed. By the time your loving father and that ridiculous lizard return, it will be far too late…"

Brutally, he lifted Hiccup's limp hand and shoved the sleeve up his arm…and then he lifted the knife…


	13. No Turning Back

**Thirteen: No turning back**

**A/N: Graphic descriptions of violence.**

_On his knees, Hiccup felt as if his heart had been wrenched from his body as he saw Astrid standing there, clad in full Hunter uniform, an axe and a knife in her hand. Her cold blue gaze turned on him and he shivered, feeling despair at the remote hostility. Krogan turned his soulless gaze on her and his scarred face moved into a smile._

_"_ _And now for your first loyalty test-kill him!" he said coldly and she gave a curt nod, gesturing the Hunters holding Hiccup away and they retreated, seeing her stride forward. Krogan smirked and took a pace closer, Viggo smiling triumphantly as she leaned forward, the hand with the knife gripping his shoulder. The axe-the perfectly balanced and beautiful weapon he had made for her and serviced personally-was lifted, the edge resting against his ragged tunic. Swallowing, he looked up into her eyes, seeing wisps of her silky hair frame her face, her nose wrinkled slightly with concentration, the couple of small freckles on her otherwise flawless skin highlighted as she leaned close._

_"Is that all?" she asked coldly. "You ask me to kill this boy? This young man who trained a dragon through his compassion, through noticing that the creature was as scared of dying as he was? The young man who learned to ride a dragon, defeated the Red Death, stopped numerous wars and defeated Viggo and his Hunters? The man who defeated Dagur and Ryker and Viggo, who escaped and outwitted them over and over? And who won not because he was the smartest tactician but because he was the best leader, the bravest, most daring warrior who would give his all for his friends and his dragon? You want me to kill him?"_

_"_ _I'd rather you didn't," Hiccup murmured and she tightened her grip painfully on his shoulder._

_"_ _You get no say," she told him coldly._

_"_ _Not even if I said I loved you?" he asked her._

_"_ _That makes no difference to what I must do," she told him evenly._

_"_ _I do," he breathed. "I love you, Astrid Hofferson, With everything I have and everything I am. And I will never stop loving you. I will never give up on you. No matter what happens, no matter what you do, I will always love you." The sincerity, the power in his words was in defiance of the fact he was about to die._

_"_ _You shouldn't," she told him. "I'm really not worth your heart…"_

_"_ _I know you are," he told her urgently. She shook her head and raised her axe._

_"_ _About time," Krogan sneered._

_"_ _You remember what I said when I was blinded, when I thought I was useless?" she breathed, so quietly that Krogan couldn't catch the words. "That there will always be a Hiccup and Astrid? Whatever it means?" He nodded, staring into her face, his emerald gaze wary but still bright with his love for her. "It means…THIS!"_

_The axe swung…_

_…_ _Hiccup unconsciously cringed…_

_…_ _and there was the sudden crunch of metal smashing into flesh and bone as Astrid's axe slammed directly back into the centre of Krogan's face. Hiccup felt her use him as a pivot and push him back as she wrenched the axe free, spinning with the axe to decapitate the victim even as he realised he was dead and turned to glare at Viggo. The former leader of the Hunters tried to scramble back but Astrid was already leaping, a terrifying war-cry shrieking through the air as the axe crashed down into the angle between his neck and body. There was a scarlet spray of blood as she wrenched the blade free and Viggo slumped back, trying to stuff his hand into the gap. But Astrid raised the axe again and this time the blade slammed into his chest, the snap of ribs and hiss of air evidencing she had breached his lung. He choked and blood sprayed from his mouth as he choked. He collapsed onto his back, staring up with his one good eye at the merciless Valkyrie._

_"_ _There will always be a Hiccup and Astrid!" she shouted at him. "No matter what you try, how you attempt to torture or break him, that you brand him and enslave him-he is my Betrothed and my love and my heart. He is a merciful man, a Viking who looks for the peaceful solution, who tries reason over wrath…but I am not. I am raised as a warrior and I embrace vengeance against those who hurt my kith and kin. And this time, there will be no miraculous escape…"_

_"_ _Astrid…" Viggo choked. "This isn't what…" Astrid lifted the axe._

_"_ _No," she said icily. "But it's what I want."_

_And the axe slammed down one last time, carving into the centre of his chest and bisecting his heart. His eye fluttered closed and he lay still._

_Breathing hard, the bloodied axe fell to the stone floor with a echoing clang as she turned back to the prisoner. The other Hunters had run when they saw Astrid slaughter their commanders, reckoning that there was nothing to be gained and all to be lost by crossing someone so wrapped in blood-lust and so terrifyingly ruthless. And then she dropped to her knees by Hiccup, her hand grasping his cheeks and staring into his eyes. Suddenly, she looked lost, her face defeated._

_"_ _I'm sorry," she whispered. "I don't deserve you any more…" He rested his forehead against hers._

_"_ _You always do, Milady," he told her gently. "You saved me."_

_"_ _I let you down," she murmured. "And now you have to go back. Toothless needs you. Your Father needs you. Berk needs you."_

_"_ _I need you," he whispered, leaning forward and kissing her. Her lips were soft and hesitant, the salty taste of her tears mixed with her own sweetness. She pulled back slightly._

_"_ _I need you, Hiccup," she admitted. "But I can't stay on Berk-not after what I've done…"_

_"_ _Astrid-I'll travel the world to find you," he told her. "Don't leave me." She leaned forward and her eyes closed as she locked her lips with his._

_"_ _Wake up," she murmured against his lips as he closed his eyes._

oOo

Johann lifted Hiccup's wrist and gave a cruel smile as he moved the knife towards the pale skin.

"What a shame that no one will arrive in time," Johann hissed. "By the time you are discovered, too much blood will have leaked from your skinny frame and you will finally be gone. And no one will suspect Trader Johann. In fact, I'll be long gone when they find poor Master Hiccup has died." He chuckled cruelly. "And of course, they all know that the Hunters could try to target you…so they will just assume someone got to you. And they'll never know who. No one will know…"

A growl reverberated through the room and Johann suddenly felt the sensation of something moving above him. Hanging down from the rafters where he had been concealed, watching over his friend, his eyes slitted and teeth bared, Toothless was hunched, his wings half-unfurled and tail whipping furiously. The Trader glanced up and faked a smile.

"Toothless," he murmured. "So good to see you here…I was just trying the Etruscan Art of Phlebotomy in the hope this procedure would revive poor Master Hiccup…"

The Night Fury's pupils slitted and the high pitched whine sounded as the purple glow of plasma appeared in the back of his throat. Johann's grip on Hiccup's wrist tightened and a snarl crossed his face.

"Back off!" he snarled. "Or your precious 'Master Hiccup' will be nothing but a memory…"

A terrifyingly precise plasma bolt blasted the knife from Johann's hand and as he was just processing the attack, the tail swatted him brutally and he flew across the room, away from the vulnerable shape of Hiccup. Toothless dropped down, his back arched and ears flattened back. Johann rose to a crouch, raising his hands to ward the dragon off.

"Easy, you stupid reptile," he said in a low voice. "No one will believe that I made any move on your precious Hiccup!" He spat the last word with hatred and threw a pair of knives at the vulnerable young Viking-but a black wing whipped across protectively and the weapons bounced harmlessly away. Furious, Johann cast a glance over to the supine shape on the bed, defying death even when he was helpless. And gasped.

Hiccup's eyes were open and looking at him.

"H-hello, Master Hiccup…" Johann gasped, resuming his servile 'Trader' voice. "I-I was just paying my respects and seeing what I could do to make you better…" Toothless leapt, his body held protectively over the skinny shape on the bed, his wings almost totally unfurled and tail whipping with fury. Hiccup blinked.

"B-bud?" he breathed. The dragon's head snapped round, pupils blowing wide and an expression of delight filling his draconic face. He solemnly licked, Hiccup's cheek and then his head snapped up, pupils slitting once more as a growl reverberated through his powerful body at seeing Johann inch back. Softly, the dragon slid his front paws until they rested protectively against Hiccup's ears and then he raised his head and roared. And again, the sound shaking the house. Johann stiffened, realising that the sound would draw every villager to the side of their Heir and he ran for it, erupting through the door and scuttling along the side of the house and away towards the forest to try to hide and pretend that he hadn't been anywhere near the building. The roars followed him as he disappeared amid the brush.

The door of the house slammed shut and Toothless tenderly licked Hiccup again. His weary face twitched into a smile.

"I…see…you…" he murmured and Toothless's ears pricked in joy. He lowered his head and nudged his nose gently against Hiccup's hand, purring in delight as he felt the fingers move slightly and press against his muzzle. He wrapped a wing protectively around the bed and crouched protectively over his Rider as his excellent hearing heard the sounds of approaching steps and familiar breaths-and then the door burst open to admit the panting shape of Stoick with Snotlout, Heather, the twins, Gustav, Fishlegs and Gobber only a few steps behind. The Chief approached the bed cautiously, removing his helmet and eyes worried at seeing the dragon crouching over the body of his son.

"Toothless?" he asked gently. "What is it? Is he…?"

Toothless lifted his wing and revealed the supine shape of Hiccup, his bright green eyes open and his hand moving slightly. There was a collective gasp as Stoick swooped forward, gathering the shape of his son in his arms and embracing him tenderly.

"Son," he breathed in a choked voice, feeling the young man move very slightly against him.

"Da'…" Hiccup breathed and his father instinctively reduced the pressure of the hug, knowing he had a tendency to almost crush his lightly-built offspring every time he embraced him.

"Sorry, son," he apologised, inspecting the shape in his arms. Hiccup's pale lips lifted in a small smile.

"No…nice…" he mumbled. The others broke out in cheers. The twins began to dance a jig, Fishlegs grabbed Heather and kissed her and Snotlout whooped and yelled 'Snotlout! Snotlout! Oy! Oy! Oy!' at the top of his voice. Tenderly, Stoick rested his son back onto the bed after plumping up the pillow and gently stroked the auburn hair off Hiccup's forehead. The bruising on his face had started to fade though there was still yellow and green colouration on his pale skin and there was still a little swelling around his eye-but it was open and the bright green gaze was focussed.

"How are you feeling, son?" Stoick asked, then blinked and automatically grabbed a canteen and gently dribbled some water over his lips. Thirstily, Hiccup swallowed a few sips and then lay back with a sigh.

"M'good…" he mumbled, his eyelids fluttering. "Tired…" Stoick smiled, settling back into the chair by the bed and looking to his friends. They nodded and headed for the door.

"We'll be back later, Hiccup," Heather told him. "You get some rest…"

"Glad you're back with us, cuz…" Snotlout said honestly. Hiccup smiled faintly.

"Thanks…" he breathed and his eyes fluttered closed. The other Riders trailed out but Gobber moved closer, his real hand lifting one of Johann's knives and showing it to the Chief.

"Someone was here, Stoick," he said honestly. "Someone expecting to find a helpless invalid…not a man protected by a dragon." The Chief's bushy brows dipped and his eyes glittered with anger.

"Those cowardly sons of trolls," he growled. "They are truly without any honour."

"Good thing Toothless was here to protect him," Gobber commented, pulling up a stool.

"I want a guard on him until we have word that Astrid had finished what she started," Stoick said firmly. "There's no telling what these sons of devils will try next." Gobber gave a brash grin.

"They try anything and they've got a Night Fury, the other dragons, the Dragon Riders and the whole of the Hooligan Tribe to face," he said. "Yer son is safe."

"For now," Stoick said, taking Hiccup's hand in his and frowning as he saw the beginnings of bruises in the shape of fingerprints on his pale wrist. He scowled. "But he nearly wasn't, Gobber. And until they are ended, he never will be."

oOo

Stormfly was tireless as Astrid scoured the seas for another Hunter ship and when she found one, it was a real strain not to annihilate the vessel. Instead, she very efficiently destroyed the weaponry, blasted the sails and mast, killed anyone foolish enough to directly attack her and then freed all the dragons. And then she sank the ship, watching the remaining Hunters scramble into the small boats, seeing the fear on their faces as she hovered over them for the longest time, making them believe that she would cruelly sink their lifeboats and condemn them to drowning in the sea. But she didn't, just making sure that they all got a good, long look at the conquerer…before she flew away.

She found another Hunter ship and repeated the process, ensuring the men were terrorised and any who fought her were slain. But she deliberately made sure that there were witnesses, survivors who could tell their tale to Krogan and entice the man out to meet her. Because now she wanted to face him, armed with the knowledge of who had been manipulating the whole mess, who had been playing the Riders and the Vikings and she was mad. Johann was behind the Hunters and while she couldn't find him, she could annihilate his men and those who harmed her Hiccup.

Making sure she was fully armed, she camped for the night not far from the shipyard and when she set off, she had a sense that she was being hunted. Just for the look of it, she swooped past the shipyard, flamed any hulks left there and got the Nadder to search for any spoors…and then she heard the roar of approaching dragons. Smiling, she pulled her hood up and grasped the bow, making sure her quiver of Gronckle-iron tipped Dragon-root arrows were on standby. And then she dived down towards the sea and glanced over her shoulder, seeing a phalanx of Singetails with their Fliers crouched on their backs. In the centre was the red Singetail with Krogan standing arrogantly tall, a smirk on his lips. Accelerating away, she heard them fire at her and the agile Nadder dinked around the explosions, soaring up vertically as she met a cliff and looping the loop over her attackers. Hanging from the saddle, she unloaded a trio of arrows at the dragons and was rewarded by the roars of sudden distress as the dragons started to succumb to the effects of the Dragonroot.

Krogan yelled a curse and fired at her again, the blast singeing the arm of her jacket but she wove her way away and fired again, this time aiming at the Fliers. Two fell dead and another lost his balance as the arrow buried in his side, falling away from the four-winged yellow dragon, which urgently made its escape. Astrid glanced across and saw Krogan and one more Flier on her tail. They were firing steadily at her so she led them on a chase through the cliffs, around the narrow canyons and up onto the plateau where they tried to outmanoeuvre her. Firing furiously, she managed to nick the Singetail and the animal lost control, growing sloppy. In the window of opportunity, she buried her last two arrows in the dragon and it crashed hard, slumping unconscious. The Rider, badly injured, lay beside the unconscious form as she turned back to Krogan.

"You won't find me such an easy opponent," he sneered, driving his dragon at her and she had to duck and dive to try to avoid the attack. She had seen Hiccup flying to avoid the man and she let her dragon take the lead, using her instincts to avoid the aggressive larger dragon. They were heading out to the coast and as they reached the cliffs, she spun and accelerated directly up, with Krogan following her. They knew that Singetails didn't like altitude and she could hear the man roaring at his dragon, furiously driving the unwilling beast on until it finally gave a roar of refusal and opened its wings, gliding back down to an altitude it would accept. And in that moment, Astrid made Stormfly dive after the Singetail, seeing its softer underbelly revealed.

She pressed her hand to the back of the dragon's skull and the super-accurate single spine shot sliced forward, burying into the dragon's belly. She repeated the action and a second spine buried in the dragon's body. Krogan laughed.

"You think my dragon can be harmed by a couple of spines from your insignificant little dragon, girl?" he shouted. "You think I won't kill you?" Astrid smiled, seeing the Singetail's chameleonic gaze diverge and its head begin the move muzzily from side to side.

"It's what's on the spines," she told him as he realised the dragon wasn't opening its wings and was just falling. He stared at her.

"What have you done?" he yelled. "Respond to me, dragon!"

Barely conscious, the dragon continued its helpless plummet down…past the edge of the plateau and parallel to the cliffs. Below, the ferocious rocks yawned, breakers crashing amid the lethal bed.

"You wanted to kill Hiccup," she told him, pulling Stormfly up. "You poisoned him to make sure he wouldn't survive. I have poisoned your dragon to return the favour." And she hovered as they continued to accelerate downwards. "Rot in Helheim!"

She watched as the Singetail crashed onto the rocks, its massive weight driving the sharp edges into its flesh and shattering its bones. Unprotected, Krogan shattered on the rocks, half-crushed by his dragon even though he had tried to leap away at the last moment, seeking the safety of the sea. Slowly, Astrid hovered down, seeing his broken body, blood oozing from his mouth as he struggled with his last breaths. But there was no victory in seeing him defeated, no glory because it didn't bring Hiccup back.

"Stormfly," she murmured and the dragon gave a croak and then launched a trio of spines, burying them in the remains of Krogan's chest. He jerked-and then lay still.

For a long time, she hovered there, even as the sun slid behind the clouds and the air grew damp with drizzle. She wasn't sure if the moisture on her cheeks was tears or just the rain but her heart was empty as she stared at him until the waves finally swallowed them up.

"Come on, Stormfly," she said tonelessly. "One down. One to go."


	14. Taking Stock

**Fourteen: Taking Stock**

Hiccup opened his eyes and all he could see was darkness. He blinked, screwing his eyes closed and then opening then again-to see only pitch black.

 _Oh nonononono,_ he thought in a panic, closing his eyes and opening them again. _Nononono, please-I thought I had regained my sight when I woke…please don't let this be true…_

He shifted his body, knowing he was lying on his bed-and he winced as he was wracked by the pains he felt from the injuries Viggo and Krogan had given him. Gritting his teeth with the effort, he tried to bend up his left arm and he felt a small surge of triumph as the elbow flexed and his hand finally rested back against his shoulder, He winced, feeling the pain from the healing brand and he groaned. Even though he was home, he was lost.

Suddenly the darkness moved and Toothless's head appeared round the edge of his wing, which had been wrapped around Hiccup like a protective tent. The young Viking blinked, the light hurting his eyes-and then he gulped in relief. _He wasn't blind!_ Sure, his vision was blurred and his eyes hurt but he could recognise Toothless no matter what.

"B-bud…" he breathed and the familiar coo of his dragon sounded reassuringly at his side. Toothless moved away and Hiccup realised that the dragon had been stationed hard by him, his wing wrapped over him like a shield and then he felt the warm muzzle nudge him. A relieved laugh burst from his lips and he was immensely relieved that it sounded like a laugh, not like the garbled sounds he had been making while the Wine of Hela had been destroying his body…

And then he stilled. Was he alive? Was this real? Or was this another crazy dream, a venom-induced nightmare as he hovered on the brink between life and death…? But this matched with where he last remembered being, dovetailing with his memories of everything deteriorating as he was dying of the poison. Toothless nudged him and he felt a surge of relief. His head was spinning, his stomach was hurting, his shoulder ached and he still felt weak…but he was undeniably on Berk and he was alive.

"Hiccup!" a female voice said and he rocked his head to look over to his right-to see a blonde shape sitting by his bed. And though his vision was still fuzzy, he knew it wasn't Astrid…after all, the blonde was wearing a familiar helmet, was wearing the wrong colour and her blonde hair was in thick braids and smelled vaguely of fish.

"R-ruff…?" he managed and was relieved that he managed to form an intelligible version of the word he had intended. She nodded.

"You said my name," she said, her voice surprised and relieved and then she grinned. "Thank Thor. We were so worried." She looked up at the dragon as she rose to her feet. "Toothless-can you watch him for a few minutes while I go get…"

"Stay!" he managed surprisingly firmly. Ruff stilled and then looked at the Night Fury.

"No problem," she said and sat back down. "Toothless-could you get the Chief then. I'll sit with Hiccup…" The Night Fury gave a small warble, his head bobbing in acquiescence and he gave his Rider a small lick and then whisked away, barging through the door of the Chief's House and galloping down the hill. Ruff smiled again. "How are you feeling?"

He frowned and tried to frame an answer. How did he feel? Alive. Not blind. Able to move at least one limb and speak sort of, he was better than he could possibly have guessed.

"Great…" he murmured. "Jus' great…" He looked around. "Tuff?" The female twin nodded and smiled.

"He's okay," she assured him. "He's taking Chicken for a walk along the cliffs. Fishlegs is cleaning Meatlug to try to cheer himself up. He's washed her so many times I think she may be shiny. And Snotlout apologised." Hiccup blinked and wondered if he was still hallucinating. He frowned, his face hurting from the effort. He tried to dismiss this as a Thorston prank but Ruff seemed far more sincere than usual.

"He…wha'…?" Hiccup managed. Ruff chuckled.

"It was very funny," she admitted. "I have never seen Snotlout so lost for words. And he could only really say it because you were unconscious. And even then…it was like he was trying to pull a Gronckle from his butt…" Hiccup's eyes widened.

"Bleurgh…" he breathed and she grinned.

"And you're back," she said in relief. "We all thought you were gone. Astrid…" He took a breath.

"As'rid?" he mumbled. Ruff nodded.

"She…"

"SON!" The door burst open and Stoick sprinted in with Toothless at his back, his eyes fixed at the pale shape on the bed, the bright green eyes widening in relief as his father skidded to a halt by the bed and knelt down, tenderly scooping his son in his arms as if he was made of eggshell. Hiccup felt the strong arms close around him, pulling him up into a cautious hug. He closed his eyes and rested his head against his father's chest, inhaling his scent and suddenly feeling home. His arm moved slightly and he exerted the smallest of pressure against his Dad's chest to return the hug. Stoick's eyes widened.

"Hiccup?" he said more gently and inspected the limp shape in his arms. The young man's face twitched.

"Hi Dad," he breathed. Stoick pulled back ad his face cracked with a huge, relieved smile.

"Son-you're alive!" Stoick boomed and Hiccup winced. He managed the slightest nod.

"Yeah…" he mumbled. "S'prise t'me too…" Grinning from ear to ear, the Chief gave him another, more Stoick-like hug.

"I'm so overjoyed to have you back, son," he bellowed, causing even Ruffnut to wince at the volume Toothless whined and pressed his paws over his ears. Hiccup closed his eyes.

"Bein' dead…w'be quieter…" he grumbled and the Chief gave an embarrassed grin and gently placed his son on the bed once more.

"Sorry!" he said in a very loud whisper. "I'm just so glad and relieved to see you awake and-and talking and…" Hiccup waved a hand very slightly, enough to indicate he had understood.

"Tired, Dad," he mumbled. "An' thirsty…" Dutifully, the Chief gave him another two cups of water before he tucked his son carefully in. There were other shapes at the door-the Riders, hanging back for fear of angering the Chief though unwilling to go-and Gobber who simply could not push past the solid mass of youngsters crammed into the doorway to catch a glimpse of their friend. Hiccup looked up and smiled. He waved his hand slightly. "C'min," he murmured and they cautiously entered, all looking sheepish. Tuff stood by his sister, who was looking immensely pleased with herself that Hiccup had woken on her watch while Fishlegs was beaming with excitement and relief and Snotlout looked…edgy. Heather was just smiling in relief.

"Ooooh-I am so glad you're awake," Fishlegs began, his voice higher pitched than usual. "I was so worried we would lose you and when we almost didn't get all the ingredients to you in time…I felt so guilty…" Hiccup managed a weak smile.

"Thanks," he said gratefully, his eyelids fluttering with weariness. Each felt like there was a boulder on it. "All've you." Tuff shrugged.

"No problemo, mi amigo," he said cheerily to everyone's confusion. "Just doing what any friend would do for their leader…" Heather briefly leaned forward and gave his hand a squeeze.

"We're so glad you're recovering," she assured him. Gobber grinned at him.

"Aye. I need meh assistant back soon," he added. "Get yuir rest, laddie-while ye can. These muttonheads won't give you much when yuir better!" Snotlout hung back as Gobber limped away, his eyes looking shifty.

"Um…yeah…I'm really pleased you're recovering cuz…but…do you think I'm a coward?" he asked all in a rush. Hiccup frowned, his exhausted brain not making the connection.

"Why?" he managed to garble out but Snotlout shrugged.

"I mean, I'm not the demonstrative kind and I think I express myself more in actions than words so I guess I just wanna known that you know what I mean, okay?" Hiccup shook his head.

"No' really," he said honestly. Snotlout gave an exasperated yell.

"AAAGH! Why is it so hard to get anyone to accept an apology?" he moaned. Hiccup frowned.

"When…?" he asked and Stoick scowled at his nephew.

"Never mind…we'll talk about it later. And really pleased to see you're up, Hiccup…" Snotlout said hastily. "Coming, Hookfang!" he added and ran out of the room. Stoick shook his head and frowned.

"I swear that boy gets stupider by the day," he commented, seeing Hiccup yawn. "It's okay, son-take a nap. We'll get Gothi to check you over and one of us-and Toothless-will be with you at all times…: Hiccup blinked sleepily.

"Thanks," he mumbled, his words slurring. "Where's As'rid. Patrol?" They Riders all shared a look and finally Stoick leaned close.

"No, son," he said gravely. "She's gone."

oOo

She felt numb, her mind whirling over and over as she replayed the fall in her mind. Seeing the dragon dropping like a stone, not even trying to save itself and watching Krogan's face twist in shock and desperation as he tried to plot his way out of a death that was inevitable. Astrid snapped a small branch and launched it into the fire, watching her fish char and burn and not making any move to rescue her food.

"I'm sorry, girl," she murmured to Stormfly. The dragon gave a sad caw and curled up behind her, pressing hard against her beloved rider. The Nadder was exceptionally well-trained and loyal and had almost as close a bond to her Rider as Toothless did to Hiccup. Or had…

She wrapped her arms around her body and closed her eyes. She tried to avoid thinking about it but there were just moments when the thoughts intruded and she remembered why she was out here. Why she was so angry, so desolate, so vengeful…because they had killed Hiccup. her Hiccup. Her Betrothed. the man she loved. The only man she would ever love. And he had died without a fanfare, without the skies darkening or the heavens weeping or every dragon keening and bowing its head as they should because their friend and protector and greatest advocate had gone. And the men who had murdered Hiccup were still out there…two of them.

She rested her hand back against Stormfly's warm flank, her fingers trailing over the familiar pattern of scales, feeling the dry surface under her fingers. Krogan had been the easiest because he was vicious and brutal and relied on bullying opponents using his larger and more powerful dragon. He had relied on strength-and she had taken that away, shattered that on the rocks. And she had stared at his smashed corpse until the waves claimed it.

But she had killed a dragon in the process, the red Singetail that had been bonded to Krogan. They had realised that his was the only dragon not enslaved, a dragon that had come back for him without being chained in servitude and she had done what the Hunters had tried to do to her for so long. She closed her eyes: no matter how hard she justified her actions, she had killed a dragon-the first dragon she had actually killed. And it had been innocent, a dragon that had been helping its human Flier…but had helped him kill and destroy and enslave. It wasn't what Hiccup would have wanted, it wasn't what she would have done before he died…but now she would do anything to make them pay.

But it wouldn't be easy. Krogan had relied on his strength and the powerful nature of his dragon to crush enemies: Viggo used his brain. The man was a planner, a game player and a strategist. He had out-thought and outwitted the Dragon Riders and Hiccup so many times and Astrid knew that she couldn't outwit the man. He would know she was coming now-she had made sure they knew that she was on their tails. That it was Astrid Hofferson. That they understood it was one lone rider-and that she was out for blood. She wasn't in it to free dragons and stop their operations: no, she was out to…

Her eyes widened. Johann would have warned them and Viggo would know it was her. They would have planned for a Hofferson full frontal attack. And she needed to give them precisely what they expected…

…and kill Viggo through his own arrogance.

She fed a few more logs to the fire and quietly checked her packs. She would need to make sure everything was ready for when she made her move.

oOo

Fishlegs was there when Hiccup awoke again, smiling in relief as his friend opened his bleary green eyes and focussed much more quickly. Hiccup lifted his arm and his friend gently gave him a couple of cups of water before he helped him sit more upright on the pillows. Hiccup smiled.

"Thanks, Fish," he said gruffly, his morning voice very unfamiliar. The husky Dragon Rider had never really seen Hiccup this unwell before, for despite the taunts he had fielded throughout his life as a 'runt' and 'fishbone', Hiccup was generally strong and determined, battling through colds and fevers and always minimising any illness, for he was mortally afraid of appearing weak. A lifetime of taunts and sneers had wrecked his confidence and Hiccup would pretty much die before he admitted weakness-so his friend wondered how the Heir would respond to this extremely close brush with death. He smiled, his pale face looking a better colour.

"Is there 'nything to eat?" His voice was still rough but Fishlegs smiled and fetched the thick, meaty broth that had been waiting. Gothi had checked over the invalid and her verdict had been simple: Hiccup had nearly died, been starved and wracked by fever and poison and he was very weak and underweight. He urgently needed to build his strength back up-and his friends would help him to do so.

"Gobber's finest," Fishlegs assured him as Toothless came up and sniffed the food, licking his lips.

"Hey…I need this more, you greedy reptile," Hiccup murmured his hands still trembling slightly. Carefully, he rested the bowl on his lap and very cautiously spooned the first mouthful up. It was his first food for nearly two weeks and his stomach was growling and roiling at the thought-but he salivated at the rich aroma and took his first mouthful.

It tasted as wonderful as he had imagined and he hastily dug into another mouthful, his hollow middle suddenly aching with hunger. Fishlegs watched him urgently tear into the food, his fine motor control not as good as it had been…but he was capable of feeding himself. But halfway down the bowl, he slowed almost to a stop and then he sat back. Immediately, his friend looked worried.

"Are you okay, Hiccup?" he asked, leaning forward. But the auburn-haired Viking shook his head.

"Just full," he admitted. "I mean, I haven't eaten for days so…well, I don't wanna overdo it and end up bringing it all back…" Toothless gave a croon and Hiccup gently placed the bowl on the edge of the bed. "Okay-knock yourself out, you flying stomach," he murmured affectionately as the Night Fury stuck his head in the bowl and licked it clean. Sitting back on his haunches, Toothless carefully set about cleaning his face as Hiccup turned his thoughtful gaze onto Fishlegs.

"Now, Fishlegs-what is this about Astrid leaving?" he asked quietly. His friend looked pale and his mouth hung open.

"I-I-I don't know what to say…" Fishlegs gabbled. Hiccup raised an eyebrow.

"The truth would be good," he managed with sarcasm.

"There's no need to be mean," Fishlegs protested. "I went to Vanaheim for you!" Hiccup frowned.

"You-you did?' he asked and then coughed. He reached for the water and misjudged the distance, overturning the wooden cup and spilling the water. Fishlegs gasped and hastened to right the mug, refill it and gently place it in Hiccup's hand. Carefully, he raised it to his lips and sipped. He clumsily placed it back on the table by his bed.

"It's okay," Fishlegs soothed him but Hiccup looked up, his eyes flashing in anger.

"No, it's not!" he said bitterly. "Fishlegs, my body still only feels like it partly belongs to me. Everything feels…strange…" He sighed. "And I know I am lucky to be alive and am only here due to the efforts of my friends and family...but you have no idea how hard it is when I am used to being…capable. And I am really wondering if I will ever be able to walk, to ride Toothless again, to work in the forge… to draw…" His voice cracked. "Please give me something to cling to, my friend. Tell me where Astrid is?"

"I-I don't know," Fishlegs said. "No one does." Hiccup's eyes widened.

"What do you mean?" he asked desperately.

"When you fell into the coma, when we failed to return by the time that Gothi said was the last that the antidote could possibly work, then she made a decision," Fishlegs said miserably.

"What?" Hiccup could barely breathe the word. Fishlegs sighed.

"She told Stoick that she couldn't watch you die," he admitted slowly. "That she wanted to remember you as you were, not as a pyre. And that she would make sure that your death was so drenched in blood that you would have to be admitted to Valhalla." Hiccup took a shuddering breath.

"You mean she's flown off on a furious quest for vengeance for my death," he breathed. "Oh Thor. And you let her go alone?"

"No one could stop her!" Fishlegs protested. "I mean, she's Astrid Hofferson. And she went before we got back with the ingredients for the cure. Dagur brought word that she has been sinking Hunter ships, destroyed an auction and has wiped out the Hunter village." Hiccup stiffened.

"What?" he gasped. Fishlegs looked unhappy.

"Dagur explained it all to the Chief but he told Heather and us as well," he said. "She attacked the Hunter village, the home of the Grimborns and main recruiting source for the Hunters-and she destroyed it. According to Dagur, she killed anyone who attacked her-but she spared the old, the woman and the children. She drove them from their homes, off the island and razed the place to the ground." Hiccup sighed.

"Gods," he murmured. "If word gets round that a Dragon Rider did that…" he murmured. He shook his head. "None of us will be safe…" And then he sighed. "But she's alone…"

"Could I point out that we have been at war with the Hunters for a year? That we have blasted bases and sunk ships-and you cannot guarantee that every Hunter made it out alive…" Fishlegs pointed out and Hiccup sighed, closing his eyes.

"I know," he murmured. "And-and I understand why they died…but this isn't a battle…"

"Yes it is, son," Stoick said from the door, his eyes relieved at seeing Hiccup sitting up and talking. It was more than he could have possibly hoped with how the poison had degraded his faculties one by one. "It remains a war until they are defeated." Hiccup lifted his head, his eyes troubled.

"But this isn't a battle…it's a crazy mission for vengeance when I haven't died," Hiccup argued as his father walked towards the bed and dragged up his chair, sitting beside Fishlegs and taking his son's hand.

"Hiccup-you were captured, you were terribly tortured and they poisoned you, intending you to die a horrible death," he reminded his son. "It wasn't an action in battle, an action of honour or even decency. Your treatment was intended to terrorise and dispirit the Riders and anyone who opposed Krogan and Viggo. It was a callous, cruel, cowardly action. Astrid looked at you and saw you sinking away from her-and she said goodbye, then swore to kill those who did this to you. It is only repaying them for the terror they visited on you, the way they stole from and starved Berk and the horrible treatment they visited upon the dragons." Hiccup sighed and his hand closed on his father's.

"But Astrid wouldn't harm dragons," he murmured. "She would be vulnerable if she had to make the choice." Then Stoick lowered his eyes. "Dad?"

"Son-she's a warrior, a protector like me," he reminded his son. "I know you think differently to me. You would rather use reason and negotiate…but Astrid thinks like a Viking. And she was heartbroken when believed there was no hope. She couldn't watch and wait for you to take your last breath: she had to go out and make those responsible feel the same pain that she did." Hiccup's hand squeezed as the young man caught the edge in his father's voice.

"You would have gone as well," he realised.

"I had the village to look after-and you are my son," the Chief said quietly. "No matter my anger, I could not leave Berk-and if you died, I would have the duty to send you to Valhalla…" Hiccup looked away.

"But I wouldn't," he said softly. "I-I would've died of poison, not in battle. So I would have ended in Helheim. And though you would have given me a proper funeral, you couldn't change the rules, Dad." His voice thickened. "I would have let you down one last time…" Stoick leaned forward and wrapped his arms around his son.

"Oh son-you have never let me down," he sighed, feeling Hiccup's arms wrap around his solid shape. "I wasn't always the best father and I often made mistakes in how I believed in you-but I could not be more proud of the son…the man…you are…" Hiccup sighed and leaned against him.

"I may not be the person I was," he murmured wearily. "But I will do everything to get out there and finish this…" And then he sighed. "But first, I have to find Astrid." He looked up. "I love her, Dad-and I need her. And it hurts to think that she is out there, grieving for me." He sighed. "And though I know she is doing what she feels is right, we need to let her know that I'm alive…" Stoick gently stroked his head and sighed.

"We have no idea where she is, son," he murmured. "Maybe one of your dragons…?"

A squawk interrupted them and Hiccup's head snapped up. There was a scratching and Fishlegs ran to open the door-to see a battered blue shape flitter in-and land in a heap on the bed. Hiccup pushed away from Stoick and shuffled in the end to gently lean over the badly injured Terrible Terror. The little dragon gave a pained whimper and stuck its broken leg out. There were the ragged remains of a message attached to the limb and Fishlegs carefully untied it. Tenderly, Hiccup stroked the little dragon.

"It's Sneaky," he murmured. "Astrid's Terrible Terror."

"What does the message say, Fishlegs?" Stoick asked, frowning. The dragon had been attacked and one of his wings was ripped. There were slashes and burns along one side and the dragon was in a poor way. The husky rider peered at the parchment and groaned. Half of it had been soaked, some was charred and there were only a couple of words actually legible.

" _Do…Johann…trust…_ " he managed. "I-I can't make anything else out."

"Nothing to indicate where she is?" Stoick asked but the husky boy handed the ravaged scrap of parchment over. The Chief frowned.

"Sorry, Chief," Fishlegs said. "That's all there is."

"And Sneaky is so injured he can't take us to Astrid," Hiccup murmured.

"You're not going anywhere, son," Stoick said firmly. Eyes concerned, Hiccup looked up.

"Astrid's out there alone, Dad," he said determinedly. "And this was important. Why else would she write to tell us to trust Johann?" He gently lifted the injured Terror in his arms. "Someone really didn't want him to make it to us." He gently stroked the whimpering reptile. "It's okay, little guy. We'll look after you…" Jumping up, Fishlegs headed towards the door.

"I'll get some bandages so we can treat him," he volunteered as Toothless gave a small croon, nudging the whimpering Terror. Hiccup looked up with concern in his eyes.

"And hurry," he said. "I'm not sure he'll make it…"


	15. For the Life Of...

**Fifteen: For the Life Of…**

Rain lashed the Hunter Base as Viggo paced within his tent, peering intermittently at the map fixed to the wall.

"He should be back by now," he growled, his scarred face pulled strangely by the expression.

"He won't be," Johann said coldly. "She will have gotten to him. She was very determined-she even evaded me." Viggo raised his remaining eyebrow and turned to face the Trader. A knife whiffled past his face by a fraction and embedded deep into the wall. "You-as she-underestimated me. But she was quick and she got away."

"You failed to stop her," Viggo replied smoothly, the vague note of triumph in his voice at the irritation in Johann's face. The man was dangerous, ice-cold and ruthless and took immense pleasure in pointing out the failure of his subordinates: not a man without his own faults, Viggo still found himself enjoying the reversal of the situations.

"She was lucky," Johann snapped.

"She's a liability-a dangerous one," Viggo corrected him smoothly. "She has annihilated over seventy percent of the fleet. Our dragons are released, our men slain and even the village is gone. That Evil Valkyrie is after our hearts!"

"No," Johann snapped, leaning forward with his eyes narrowed with hatred. "She's just a girl. And all alone. She's after us because she believes that Hiccup Haddock is dead."

Viggo paused from his pacing and stared at Johann.

"Believes?" he repeated. Johann gave an irritated snort.

"He lives," he snapped. "When I went to Berk, I found that he had survived and was being cared for at home by his father. He was in a coma…"

"Was?" Viggo's tone was extremely cynical.

"No one pays any mind to 'Trader Johann'," the man said bitterly. "But I listened-and went to see the young man and quietly end him…but that lizard was there. He saved the boy-and I think he woke."

"Did he see you?" Viggo snapped. Johann shook his head.

"He had just woken from a long illness and I doubt he would register who I was," he said. "My cover remains intact, I think. But he is alive and he will recover."

"You forget-Astrid Hofferson knows who you are," Viggo reminded him.

"And yet word had never got back to Berk despite her having ample time," Johann snapped. "I advised the Fliers to attack any Terrible Terrors since I know the Riders use them to communicate."

"SIR! SIR!" A Hunter poked his head round the flap of the tent and Viggo rolled his eyes.

"What is it?" he asked coldly. The Hunter threw a sloppy salute.

"We've found him, sir," he reported.

"Really?" Viggo's voice was cold.

"Well, actually we found his dragon," the Hunter reported. Viggo remained silent. "It's dead, sir."

"How?"

"It appears to have crash-landed-but there were Nadder spines sticking out of the carcass," the Hunter reported.

"That dragon would have come to him if he was alive," Johann commented brutally. "Interesting-she brought it down. And Krogan underestimated her. He is dead then." He looked over at Viggo. "Promote Joren to the lead of the Fliers."

"Go," Viggo snapped, his eye sparkling with irritation. He was the leader of the Hunters and resented being treated like a subordinate by the Trader. Though Johann was clearly a powerful and dangerous man, a man who had plotted his stratagem a long time in advance, a man who had killed to set up his deception, who had cultivated his persona for years and who could walk almost anywhere as the laughable 'Trader Johann' but who would kill and destroy if he considered it in his best interest. Both men watched the Hunter leave and then glared at one another.

"She is more dangerous than I had anticipated," Johann commented.

"More than you can realise," Viggo snapped. "And you had her in your hands-and let her go."

"Just how many times have you failed to destroy her?" Johann retorted. "Can you even count that high?" Viggo walked to his desk.

"This is different," he snapped. "Until now, the Riders would do anything to avoid harming a dragon-even allowing Ryker and I to evade them because we were using dragons. Astrid was Hiccup's second in command and before he was rescued, she would protect dragons above stopping us-as would he. But now-she has proved she will kill a dragon if necessary to stop us. That is…disturbing…" Johann gave a sneer and rose to his feet.

"Not really," he said. "We know now we can't rely on the presence of dragons to protect us-and that she can bring down a Singetail. So you can either sit here and wait for you to come to you-or you can take action."

"Meaning?" Viggo asked sharply. Johann folded his arms.

"Attack Berk," Johann said. "Finish Hiccup."

oOo

Returning to the Edge was bittersweet because every inch reminded Astrid of Hiccup and of how much she had failed him. She had killed a dragon in anger, killed one deliberately to get at Krogan and take her vengeance. And in doing that, she had completely let Hiccup down. She glanced at the site of his wrecked hut and blinked: it hurt her that he was gone and that what she was doing now would hurt him, would upset him if he knew. But he would never know because they had taken Hiccup from her. The best, kindest, most compassionate, most amazing man and they had killed him. And without him, her heart was frozen with rage and vengeance and she knew that no one could ever take his place.

Calmly, she made her way to her damaged hut and swiftly made herself something to eat from the remaining store, fed Stormfly and then gathered more provisions and equipment from the Edge. And then, very methodically, she sharpened every weapon that she possessed and then curled up to sleep in her bed. She lay on her side for a moment, staring at the curled shape of Stormfly, the peaceful breathing of the dragon reminding her that she wasn't alone, that she still had one person who would stand by her, no matter what.

But for now, her heart was hurting so badly so she quietly sat up and swung her legs over the side of the bed. Silently, she moved to the small, innocuous wooden box pushed against the wall, half-covered by her weapons and carefully moved them, then opened it. Within were a few personal items-an old string of carved beads that had been handed down from an aunt, the little axe that her Uncle Finn had made her, the picture that Hiccup had drawn of her when she was young and foolish and despised the boy who grew into the man who was everything to her… She reached down and folded at the bottom was a folded piece of cloth: one of Hiccup's old tunics. She couldn't remember how she came to have it but her hands closed on it and she pressed it to her chest. Quietly she rose and headed back to the bed. Sniffing the faintest edge of his familiar scent, she felt her lips curve up in a small smile. Clutching the cloth to her chest, she closed her eyes and imagined, just one last time, that he was here with her as she fell into a dreamless sleep.

oOo

Night was deep around the Hunter Base, the moon and stars obscured by the clouds and a light drizzle discouraging anyone from wandering casually around the base. The lookouts were scanning the horizon-such as it was-and the flames were reflecting off the restless sea in the harbour, lightening the shore. but the landward side was dark, the trees and rocks seeming to swallow the light. The roars and whines of the imprisoned dragons echoed up from the cages and the patrolling guards yelled a few obscenities at the captive reptiles.

Hood up and camouflaged by her dark clothing, Astrid sneaked through the camp, clinging to the shadows and listening carefully for any guards as she slowly made it to the cages. They were carefully guarded and she was well aware of the fact they had been caught so many times trying to free dragons as a result of traps laid by Viggo. And as she was alone, she had no one to rely on. But she had a plan as well and as she walked through, she found the four most powerful dragons and carefully poured the water she had collected over them and then opened the locks on the doors. Carefully, she splashed the next three largest dragons with the water and paused, waiting. There was a pause and the dragons began to growl, fire drooling from their jaws. Smiling Astrid darted forward and pulled the cage doors open, then ducked back into the shadows as the guards walked past.

Quickly, she dashed away as the dragons barged their way out of the cages and attacked the guards, their ferocity increased by the parasitic Grimora Dragons that they had acquired from the infected water Astrid had collected from Grimora Lake Island. In the ensuing chaos, she stealthily moved through the camp until she reached Viggo's tent. And then she paused: the lamp was out and there was no sign that he was in. But she listened carefully and cautiously slipped though the opening into the tent, clinging to the shadows and crouching, listening.

There were no other sounds of breaths in the tent and the place felt cold, as if there hadn't been anyone in it for some time. As she looked, Viggo's sword was gone and so was his cloak. He had evaded her. Slowly, she rose and looked around, looking for his plans or any signs of the DragonEye-but, as expected it had been taken by the man. Quietly, she saw his flask of wine waiting for him and a cushion on his chair and she snorted, then did a final sweep. She needed to know where he was so she could deal with him. Checking the door flap and hearing the cries from the dragons attacking the Hunters, she performed a methodical search of the room and found a copy of the recipe for the Wine of Hela and the antidote and she carefully removed them, leaving a present for Viggo instead. And then she glanced at the map on the wall, seeing the island of Berk circled in red ink.

She frowned. Anxiety was running through her so she sneaked out and headed down until she could view the Harbour-and then she froze.

There were no Hunter ships in at all. Every single vessel had gone.

"Good thing Viggo ain't here to see this mess," a Hunter commented to his colleague as they patrolled past. Pressed into the shadows, Astrid listened. "But he's off leading the attack." He chuckled. "Maybe we'll finally be rid of those Riders-once Berk is conquered…"

Ducking away, Astrid ran through the camp, uncaring of who saw her now. A guard foolish enough to step in her way and try to stop her found himself cut down without hesitation as she barrelled forward and then found herself facing an enraged and Grimora-possessed Monstrous Nightmare. She backed up a step, her eyes wide and one hand raised, her axe clamped in her other hand and held behind her back.

"Hello, big boy," she murmured. "I mean you no harm. I let you out. You wanna go bother someone else?" she asked and the dragon growled at her, his eyes slitted and ferocious. A familiar squawk sounded from overhead and Stormfly swooped in, hissing at the aggressive dragon. Without hesitation, she flamed and the angry dragon leapt back. In that moment, Astrid leapt onto her back and clamped her hands onto the edge of the saddle. "Up! Up!" she urged and the swift Nadder accelerated upwards into the damp sky as the dragons attacked the remaining Hunters. She glanced back and then leaned low over Stormfly's neck.

"Head for Berk, girl," she said grimly. "Time to go home. Before the Hunters destroy it."

oOo

Bucket and Mulch were patrolling Berk on their Zippleback Smokey and Sparks with Gustav, concentrating on the horizon when Bucket pointed to his friend.

"What are those?" he asked simply as Mulch carefully pulled out the spyglass they had been entrusted with and peered through it.

"Oh dear," he said, his honest face troubled. Bucket looked at him.

"What is it, Mulch?" he asked.

"Ships," he reported. "An armada in fact. I think we ought to report to the Chief-straight away…" They turned and accelerated away, speeding urgently to Berk. On their way, they caught up with Gustav who was rounding the headland on Fanghook. The leader of the A-Team saw them speeding back home and followed.

"Hey! What's up?" he called as Fanghook closed.

"INVASION!" Mulch shouted. "Gotta warn the Chief!" Gustav glanced over his shoulder and then blasted and shot past the speeding Zippleback.

"HUNTERS!" he yelled.

oOo

The warning horn echoed through the village of Berk and Hiccup looked up in surprise from his bed. Toothless scrambled to his feet and growled as the young man glanced over at Snotlout, who was sitting with him. His cousin had been fairly uncommunicative and had muttered a few self-conscious words but otherwise had said little as Hiccup had felt awkward as well. He knew that Snotlout was struggling because he knew in his heart that he should repeat his apology for how he had behaved towards Hiccup when he was younger when Hiccup was actually conscious to hear it but was really struggling to find the words. Knowing he should say something to make his cousin-and friend-feel more comfortable was making Hiccup feel conflicted since he also wanted to hear Snotlout say the apology but after everything he had suffered as a child and younger teen, he didn't feel he should have to make it easy for him. But the larger part of him that was Hiccup the leader of the Dragon Riders and Heir to Berk was reminding him that Snotlout was his friend, his fellow Rider and one of the people who had-against all the odds-found the cure to save his life.

"What's that?" he asked. He was still feeling horribly weak and he could only stay awake for a few hours without needing a nap. He had regained motion in all his limbs but his movements were clumsy and he was very worried he would never regain his dexterity and hard-won skills at Riding, smithing, drawing and sword-fighting. But he was tense because that was a sound he had learned to fear from the time he had understood what the horn meant: Berk was under attack-and he was helpless.

Snotlout was on his feet, his face relieved at something he felt more comfortable with. In truth, he had wanted to apologise properly, to finally alleviate the heavy feeling of guilt in his chest whenever Hiccup treated him like a friend when all he had done deserved far less. And he had known once Hiccup woke that he would have to have the conversation…but faced with Hiccup's bright green eyes and small smile, he found his courage had withered and he had sat, saying little and playing his his nails. The warning horn was the perfect distraction.

"Attack," he said solidly. "Toothless-stay with him. I'll go and find out what is happening…" And he was up without looking back, speeding to the door and throwing it open-to reveal the shape of the Chief, racing up the hill with a worried look on his face.

"Get back in there!" Stoick growled, bursting through the door and looking at his son. Hiccup pushed himself to sit upright and met his father's eyes.

"What is it, Dad?" he asked. The Chief's face darkened and his eyes lit with anger.

"Hunters!" he spat. "A full armada of them…looks like every ship they have. And they're armed and accompanied by Fliers…" Hiccup gave a smile.

"I guess…my secret's out," he shrugged. "I think Viggo has found out I'm alive and has come to finish the job…"

"But how…?" Stoick asked as Snotlout rolled his eyes.

"Johann!" he spat. "That windbag couldn't shut up to save his life! Of course he'll have blabbed!"

"He's right, Dad," Hiccup added as Toothless growled, ambling forward and wrapped a wing around the one-legged Viking. Hiccup looked up lovingly and rested shaky hand against Toothless's snout. "It's okay, bud-no one will harm me when I've got you…" The Chief glared at his nephew.

"You're staying with him," he commanded, glaring at the shocked Snotlout. "You protect him with your life…" Hiccup sighed and shook his head.

"Dad-we both know that is a stupid waste of a skilled and experienced Dragon Rider," Hiccup told him bravely.

"You're my only son-and you're vulnerable here-which is why you must be protected," Stoick insisted but his son shook his head.

"Look-I have Toothless with me-a Night Fury, for Thor's sake-and I know he will protect me," he told his father simply. "A Chief protects his own-and the needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few. Berk is in danger. _Everyone_ is in danger-and you can't skimp on Berk's defences because I'm still recovering, Dad. You need everyone you can get against the Fliers. Our defences are already weakened because I'm not in the air and Astrid has gone…though I can't believe you didn't stop her or tell me about that the moment I woke up, by the way!…so you can't waste a good fighter babysitting me."

"But you're my son and the last time I put the Tribe before you, you were taken by Bounty Hunters even from Berk itself!" Stoick argued. "And now we know he is out to kill you." Hiccup sighed.

"Dad-you have to do this," he told his father sternly. "You know it. I know it. Even Snot knows it. Now get out there and prepare our defences. I'll stay here with Toothless…" And then he paused. "But…just in case…could you have someone bring me my sword?" Stoick glared for another moment…and then his shoulders slumped.

"Aye, you're right, son," he sighed. "I'll have Gobber bring your weapon up and Snotlout-get out there with the Riders." He paused. "Make sure this house is protected, no matter what."

"On it, Chief," Snotlout promised and sprinted for the door, yelling for Hookfang as Stoick leaned forward to rest his hand on his son's shoulder.

"You know how proud I am of you, son?" he asked and Hiccup nodded.

"You may have mentioned it," he admitted with a small smile. "As proud as I am to be your son, Dad." Stoick sniffed and then cleared his throat.

"Aye, well-good," he mumbled, suddenly thrown. And then he looked over at the Night Fury. "Look after him, dragon," he said sternly. "Guard him with your life!" And then he turned to the door. "Love you, son," he said as he left.

"Take care, Dad…" Hiccup called as the door slammed and he slumped. Then he scooched wearily to the edge of the bed and swung his legs over the side before he looked up into Toothless's worried eyes. "I think I should get my leg on, bud-just on case…" he said.

oOo

Leaning low over Stormfly's neck, Astrid blinked against the icy wind that blasted into her face as the hit top speed on their way back to Berk. The blonde warrior focussed on the horizon and her home-with her parents, friends and everything that Hiccup and she held dear.

She had to pray she would be in time.


	16. Endgame

**Sixteen: Endgame**

The Riders had barely got in the air when the Fliers crossed the cliffs and launched their attack. Fire bolts rained down on the village of Berk and Vikings ran for it-but not very far. Used to attacks by dragons for centuries and then from Outcasts and Berserkers, the Hooligans were not about to lie down and submit. The men ran for their familiar places at the catapults, the women gathered their children and scooted for the safety of the Great Hall while Gobber raced to the forge to hand out weapons and the teens scrambled for their dragons-or to the fire crew. Though they weren't being raided by dragons now, a large number lived on Berk and small fires were common so the younger teens still manned the fire crew and now they were quivering with excitement at finally seeing battle.

"Attack!" Stoick bellowed from the back of Skullcrusher, his Rumblehorn. Waving his axe, he accelerated directly towards the attacking dragons. He didn't underestimate them-after all, they had faced wild Singetails on Storehouse Island-but this time, he knew that Berk was at stake. Retreat wasn't an option and defeat was unthinkable-because Stoick couldn't imagine his home and people under the thumb of Viggo Grimborn, a man who sold dragons as a commodity and who had callously blockaded and starved Berk in a cowardly ploy to cause his son to withdraw from their war. From the corner of his eye, he saw Snotlout yell and lead the attack, his flaming Monstrous Nightmare strafing the fliers as the twins followed, the billowing green gas of the Zippleback swirling around and then igniting.

"A Team-to me!" Gustav shouted and directed Sven, Bucket and Mulch and Gothi to take the left flank. Fishlegs and Heather took the right while Stoick, Snotlout and Spitelout all slammed into the middle. Individual duels broke out all over the skies, with the Dragon Riders concentrating on unseating the Fliers, which left their dragons to abandon them and fly away. But the Fliers had no qualms and strafed the houses without mercy, explosions blasting the Plaza and starting fires. Gobber growled and bellowed a mouthful of curses before kicking his Hotburple, Grump.

"C'mon, Grump-we need to get up there!" he shouted, swapping out his hook for an axe attachment. The large, slow-moving dragon gave a little burp and closed his eye once more but Gobber kicked him with his peg leg. "These are Hunters, Grump!" the smith insisted urgently. The eye snapped open and the dragon lumbered to his feet straight away, barging Gobber aside as he lumbered to the door. "That's it, yeh lazy lump," he said in relief and jumped onto the dragon's back as they rose up to meet the attackers.

oOo

Back on the leading Hunter ship, Viggo stared at the jagged outline of the island of Berk…and then he raised his fist.

"FIRE!" he commanded and they unleashed the catapults. The front seven ships fired on the village, boulders arching through the sky and slamming into the cliffs, the ships in the port and the houses and stores in the lower town. Muttering among themselves, the Hunters obeyed and methodically reloaded and fired the catapults as the ships closed on the coast. Viggo could hear them muttering and he folded his arms but said nothing: the men were complaining that this didn't catch them any more dragons and he couldn't be bothered to explain that shattering the Dragon Riders and their ridiculous sentimental antics would clear the way for Viggo to capture and kill whatever dragons he wished at will. Nor that he had no intention of helping Johann locate the 'King of Dragons' and support his plot for ultimate power. He had a nasty suspicion that the late Krogan's backer would have something to say about that and getting caught between two powerful amoral men would simply be bad for business.

But for now, he was prepared to hazard a few losses to remove the most potent enemy he had ever encountered, a man who had seeming escaped death at every turn and who seemed to be blessed with incredible luck.

"You luck is running out, Hiccup Haddock," he growled as he saw a pair of Riders swoop down and strafe the fleet. The ship right alongside his flagship lurched sideways as an explosion blasted the mast down and the ship listed. Viggo's finger stabbed at Snotlout and Hookfang.

"BRING THAT DRAGON RIDER DOWN!" he shouted and the Hunters swung their ballistas round, the bundles of dragon root arrows spraying in all directions roughly at the whooping Monstrous Nightmare Rider-but a blast of brilliant Nadder fire vaporised them as Spitelout swooped by-and then Stoick drove his Rumblehorn down and blasted the ship to Viggo's left.

"BERK!" Stoick yelled.

"Take that, yer Hunter bastards!" his brother yelled as he strafed the ship as well. Viggo ducked and glared at them as the ships surged forward, their sails filled by the breeze.

"Concentrate your fire on these riders!" he yelled as he turned to the reliable men he had chosen. "As soon as we approach the coast, you are to head up the village and go straight to the Chief's House. That is where Johann said the boy was recovering. Use your Dragon Root arrows to dispose of the Night Fury and then kill the boy. And let me make it very clear. I want you to bring me his head as proof. And his body need not be attached."

oOo

Despite their best efforts, the Fliers were inflicting damage on the village and though they had unseated a few, the Riders were struggling. Fishlegs had a small burn to the leg and Ruffnut had been unseated and had nearly crashed to the ground-if Heather and Windshear hadn't grabbed her in the nick of time and returned the shaken girl to her dragon. Tuffnut was whooping and mad that the had almost lost his sister and the villagers were launching all sorts of weapons at the invaders. The catapults were working and stones were flying up, taking down a couple of Fliers but it was clear the villagers weren't happy at having to injure dragons when they had dragon friends of their own.

In the Chief's House, Hiccup listened to the sounds of battle and grimaced. He hadn't felt this useless since he was fifteen, before he had befriended Toothless and they had trained each other. It was agony, listening to the explosions and sounds of destruction, knowing that the village, the people he was trained to see as his charges and responsibility, was being harmed and the Vikings were being hurt. In every fibre of his being, he knew he should be out there, fighting for his Tribe but instead, they were being hurt to protect him. And Stoick had charged Toothless to stay with him, meaning even the Night Fury couldn't go out and defend the village.

So he jumped when the door opened a crack. Toothless growled and there was a small gasp.

"Is anyone in there?" a small, childish voice asked and a head poked round the door. Hiccup managed to lean forward and rest a hand against Toothless, reassuring the Night Fury and then beckoned the young boy in. He recognised him-well, the spiky black hair and grey eyes were a trademark. It was Nubbin Larson, Gustav's younger brother. And like all of the Larsons, he was scrawny, a bit small and looked scruffy. Hiccup knew Mrs Larson was a good woman but not a very good homemaker and the Larsons were poor, though that didn't seem to stop them producing a child every couple of years. Currently they had six and Hiccup had heard his father joke that Mrs Larson was founding her own clan single-handed.

"Come in, Nubbin," Hiccup said as the boy wandered in, holding a metal object and Hiccup gasped.

"Gobber said to bring you this," the boy reported, stumbling forward and handing Inferno over to Hiccup. Eyes widening in surprise and relief, Hiccup weighed the weapon in his left hand, feeling the grip weaker than it had been and consciously tightening his grasp as he looked up at the blade.

"Thank you," he said, his eyes checking the edge and seeing it had been sharpened and readied for use.

"It's pretty scary out there," Nubbin said unselfconsciously. "Are you gonna go out there and scare them off?" Hiccup lowered the sword and rested it across his lap.

"No," he sighed. "I've been very sick because the Hunters poisoned me…and I can barely hold a sword…" Nubbin looked at him and shrugged.

"How 'bout Toothless?" he asked boldly. "He's the most awesome, cutest dragon around…" Hiccup chuckled as the Night Fury gave a quizzical warble.

"That he is," he agreed as Toothless rolled his eyes and then shuffled forward, his ears vibrating as he concentrated on deciphering the sounds of battle from outside. Nubbin looked honestly up into the one-legged Rider's face.

"You know you're my hero?" he asked as Hiccup's green eyes widened. "I mean you are seriously awesome. But Astrid is the scariest Dragon Rider-even scarier than the Chief." He leaned close. "That's what my brother says. Don't tell her he said it."

"Oh, I gotta," Hiccup told him with a small smile. "Because she will be really touched that Gustav said that."

"If she finds out, he'll have to probably 'drop and give her a hundred'," Nubbin said glumly. "He said his arms almost fell off after forty."

"Your brother is in luck because Astrid isn't here right now," Hiccup sighed as the young boy sat on the end of the bed. "But Thor, I wish she was because I would tell her that I need her-and it sounds pretty desperate out there..." Nubbin jumped as another explosion sounded, closer and louder and he scooted right to the edge of the bed.

"Could I stay here...just for a little bit?" he asked in a small voice. "I mean I know it's cheeky-and I am cheeky-but I'm not old enough to be on the fire crew so I would have to be in the Great Hall and I hate being inside there during raids…" Looking into the scared eyes, Hiccup felt sympathy wash over him and he patted the bed next to him. Cautiously, Nubbin hopped up and sat right against Hiccup. "I mean I'm not scared or anything…" he said quickly.

"Of course not," Hiccup said as an explosion sounded right outside. Nubbin gave a little yelp and pressed against the Heir and Hiccup automatically wrapped an arm around the anxious body, comforting the younger boy kindly. Toothless growled and Hiccup's hand tightened around the hilt of his sword. He had tied on his prosthetic leg, even though the stump wasn't even half-healed but he knew if the worst came to the worst, he wanted to face his fate standing on his two feet-even though one was prosthetic-rather than dying in bed. "Toothless and I will protect you, Nubbin-no matter what!"

oOo

Viggo's flagship had reached the moorings so his hand-picked squad were racing up the ramps to the village while the Hunter and his other men were following. The catapults continued to pound the village of Berk as the Hooligans tried to save their homes from destruction and began to fight the invaders. Overhead, the Fliers were slowly getting the upper hand, driving the Riders back and unseating Sven from his Monstrous Nightmare. Smoky and Sparks was hampered by a torn wing but the Zippleback was gamely hovering over the Plaza, blasting at anything they could to drive the Hunters away. But slowly, the Hunters were pushing the Hooligans back.

Suddenly, Viggo's head snapped up as a squawk sounded overhead and a blue Deadly Nadder ripped through the sky. The shape hunched over her back was dressed in black but a few strands of golden hair escaped from the hood. Stormfly arched round and ripped two Fliers from their Singetails' backs before dropping them directly a hundred feet to the ground. As she banked, Stormfly was already firing her spines and as they buried in the Singetails, the dragons began to become uncoordinated and drop from the sky.

"SNOTLOUT! HEATHER! Take point!" she shouted as she swept round and got Stormfly to fire and intercept a blast at Bucket and Mulch. "All of you-protect the people. Monstrous Nightmares and the Chief-take out the ships. We need to stop the Hunters destroying the village and…"

"ASTRID!" Heather shouted.

"Later!" she replied brusquely. The raven-haired girl drove her silver Razorwhip to hover in front of Astrid.

"Now!" she shouted. "Look-Hiccup is alive!"

Astrid stared at her. She shook her head.

"No…Gothi said it was impossible, that there was no hope…" she breathed. Stormfly hung in the air, hovering as the blonde stared at her friend.

"We were too late," she admitted. "But he hung on. He was in a coma for a week. We thought he would never wake…or slowly fade…but he woke. He's awake."

"He's alive?" she breathed. Heather smiled.

"He's in the Chief's House with Toothless and…" she explained as a shape sped past and the two watched in horror as a Green Singetail slipped past the defences and fired directly at the Chief's House, perched in the hill. The explosion tore the building apart and Astrid started in horror at the rubble left.

"HICCUP!" she screamed and then she turned to look at the Flier. "Stormfly…" she breathed, leaning forward and the Nadder raced forward, her tail already rising to drive a brace of spines deep into the Flier's body. Dead before he even fell, nevertheless Astrid watched him until he broke on the ground, his dragon flying away. Her face hardened with rage and her hands tightened on the saddle. "Come on, girl-no survivors," she breathed and tore down the village. Heather glanced down as the rubble moved and Toothless raised his shielding wing, dislodging the wooden beams and revealing Hiccup crouched over Nubbin, still on his bed. The Berserker gave a sigh of relief.

But Hiccup was staring down the village at the familiar blue and gold shape of the Nadder as she arched down and picked off the Fliers. Forgetting that they were not facing just the Riders, the Fliers were expecting non-lethal force-and even Hiccup could see that Astrid was using every tactic she could to take them down-as she would if she was alone and had no backup. And he had heard her scream, knew what she had assumed because he had kind of believed it himself that he was going to die. And then he felt Nubbin move and he looked down into the little boy's huge grey eyes, his face pale with shock.

"You okay?" he asked as confidently as he could, forcing a smile on his face and the boy nodded soundlessly. "Toothless was very brave, wasn't he?" There was another silent nod. "Get to safety, Nubbin. We'll be fine…" And then he saw the boy's eyes widen.

"Not when we've finished with you!" the Hunter said from a few yards away. "Viggo wants your head." Hiccup pushed the boy behind him and lifted the dragon blade, pressing the button that released the Monstrous Nightmare gel. The blade ignited.

"Kinda like it where it is," he admitted with a smile, pushing himself to his feet. "Bud-you wanna get us some help?" The Night Fury fired his distress signal even as the Hunters fired arrows at him-but Hiccup threw himself forward and parried two with Toothless blasting the other away-and then felling the bowman. Before they could prepare, the men charged. Gritting his teeth and bracing himself, he managed to scramble the blade up to parry two men as they lunged at him even as Toothless batted away a couple more. There was a squawk and Sneaky-who had been asleep under the bed-bit one man's knee to the bone while Sharpshot attacked another man ferociously.

And then the men jerked, eyes wide and mouths open with gasps of pain and sudden realisation-and then they fell, the Nadder spines sticking out of their backs. Hiccup looked up as Stormfly hovered and floated lower. Astrid's axe was in her hand and as another couple of men came forward, she cut them down. But one got through and Hiccup, unbalanced and seeing Nubbin cringing back, ducked and clumsily drove the blade forward into the man's chest. He winced as he felt the man's knife graze his side-and then he stumbled back to collapse onto the bed by the boy. Toothless and Stormfly finished off the rest of the Hunters as Astrid looked down on him.

"Hiccup?" she breathed.

"Hi Astrid," he managed, looking up at her with relieved eyes. "Thank Thor. I thought you had left me…" She shook her head, leaning back and making Stormfly flap a little higher up, pulling back from him.

"I'm sorry," she breathed. "I'm sorry, Hiccup. I-I don't deserve you…" He blinked, the words of his dream echoing in his ears.

"It's okay…" he murmured. "Nothing you could ever do would make you love me less. I know why you went. It doesn't matter. I love you. I need you, Milady…" She blinked, her eyes shining at the steadfast love in his voice and she shook her head again, her expression stricken and ashamed.

"I-I can't," she breathed. "Until Viggo is dead, you will never be safe. I have to finish it." He looked up in alarm.

"Astrid?" he breathed as she wheeled away. She didn't look back and he felt as if his heart had been ripped from his chest as she left him. "ASTRID!" Frantically, he looked over to Toothless-but the dragon wasn't wearing his saddle and tail gear-even if Hiccup had been able to fly after the woman he loved. His voice was hoarse with despair. "Bud-stop her!" he begged but though Toothless roared over and over, she still arrowed up into the sky and vanished.

oOo

Over Berk, the Fliers were scattered, all their Singetails gone except for those who had been hit with Dragon Root-impregnated spines. The Hunters had been thrown back once the Riders and Hooligans could concentrate on the invaders and several more ships had been sunk, leaving Viggo fleeing with two ships only and a small handful of men. Furious and shaken at how catastrophically things had gone south once Astrid rode in and fought like a Flier against his forces, Viggo had recognised the best part of valour and had conserved what he could from the rout. He knew most of his force was left behind and the two ships he had were all that was left of his armada. And he had to keep the men firing catapults and arrows until they were all spent to keep the Riders off them. But in the end, he knew they would break off, because there were prisoners and hostile dragons still on their island and the village was partially in ruins. They had other priorities.

And so had Viggo. He needed to get back, regroup and get back to business. Recruit more men, dig out his secret gold stores and get some new ships so he could stabilise, coordinate a new plan with Johann and finally finish that-that boy!

As they sailed through the night, Viggo brooded, his mood dark. Johann had sent them on the attack but he had failed to mention that all the dragon riders were in Berk or that the Night Fury was watching over Hiccup. Of course, he had taken into account the Vikings of Berk and there was no way that they should have been able to beat the Fliers and his men. The presence of Astrid and the tactics that she had used seemed to have swung the battle and he cursed himself for falling into the trap of imagining all the Dragon Riders would be like Hiccup. The Night Fury Rider was a man who sought the peaceful solution, who tried to spare life and to not harm dragons-but Astrid's actions had abundantly demonstrated that she was a different person, a true Viking on a dragon, a Valkyrie on a different steed. A Dark Valkyrie on a draconic steed, filled with rage and hatred and vengeance-and she had killed without hesitation or mercy.

He still hadn't expected it. Mentally, he had still dismissed her because they had beaten the Riders so many times-but he should have realised…that someone who could end Krogan so efficiently and brutally wasn't to be discounted. And he hadn't expected her to be at Berk, had assumed she would be prowling the Archipelago searching for Hunter ships to sink. Well, she had found them-and had helped deal him his worst defeat after the loss of the Shellfire, Ryker and the DragonEye.

He turned the instrument over in his hands and frowned. He knew more about it than any other man alive and his collection of lenses was enviable but he was still missing vital components that could enable him to locate the King of Dragons. But maybe, given his reduced circumstances, that was his only real course: throw everything with Johann, locate and subjugate the King before Hiccup could get to it and ride the Trader's coat-tails. The prospects wouldn't be everything he would like but he assumed he would be given free rein at Dragon Hunting, since Johann secretly loathed the creatures.

He had a further jolt when he arrived back at his base, finding it in ruins. The dragons had all escaped, most of his guards were dead and several of the more powerful dragons had been slain and the bodies burned…though from the reports of the remaining guards, it sounded like they had suffered from Grimora infestation. He stared around the chaos, the guard quarters burning and cages damaged and he had shaken his head.

"Clear up the mess, set a light guard and get some rest," he ordered the remaining sergeant as he looked over at his remaining ships. "Make me a list of the deceased and I will write to the widows and ensure the usual honoraria are paid to the families." The guard bowed his head and retreated, looking relieved. He had expected anger, sarcasm, maybe even death but Viggo had been very civilised. And as a leader and Chief, Viggo was a good leader and looked after the families of those who gave their lives in his service-even those he had executed for failing him.

His tent seemed intact and slumped into his seat, carefully placing the DragonEye on its cradle and pouring himself a generous goblet of mead and almost pouring it down his throat before refilling the goblet and sipping it more slowly as he stared without seeing at the gloom in his tent. His brother was dead, having betrayed Viggo and tried to usurp his power. His Tribe was gone, scattered to the four winds and their home razed to the bedrock. His organisation was in tatters, the meagre couple of score of men and two damaged ships all that remained of a once-mighty and feared organisation that was the envy of the entire North. He knew his partners would spurn him as a failure and seek other, better providers of dragons.

He had lost everything.

And it was all down to that boy, Hiccup and his demon of a girlfriend, Astrid.

Wearily, he unstrapped his sword and laid it across his desk as he drained his goblet once more. Sometimes, a man just needed to get drunk and allow the pains of life to fade amid the haze of alcohol. He could regroup in the morning and begin his plan to recover his fortunes and finally extract his revenge from Hiccup and the Riders. And then he stiffened, realising that he wasn't alone. A shape moved in the shadows at the furthest corner of the tent and light gleamed off the keen edge of an axe blade.

"I think we need to talk," Astrid said.


	17. The Abyss

**Seventeen: The Abyss**

Viggo snatched his sword and rose to his feet, the blade edged with the warm light from the lanterns as he pointed the blade at the intruder.

"What could you possibly have to say, Astrid?" he asked dryly. "You appear to have been most effective in diminishing my fortunes and destroying my organisation." She remained back in the shadows, out of reach and shielded by the gloom.

"You could surrender," she said quietly. "You could renounce any claim on Hiccup, cease your aggression against the Dragon Riders and give up Dragon Hunting."

"Do you wish my heart as well?" Viggo asked sarcastically, draining his goblet and wiping his mouth on the back of his hand. Astrid took a step forward, her blue eyes sparkling with anger.

"I heard your men," she said in an inch voice. "You wanted Hiccup's head. You sent men specifically to murder him." Viggo gave a small smile. If she was angry, the probabilities of outwitting her grew greater.

"This is war, my dear-or hadn't you realised that?" he taunted her. "You have certainly been employing military tactics against me-or should we maybe term it piracy?"

"Just desserts would be my term for it," she replied sharply. "You capture and kill and maim dragons…finally some payback."

"And what does dear Hiccup think about your actions, my dear?" he taunted her. "I seem to recall that he is rather more squeamish about the prospect of killing. And have you told him what you did to Krogan's Singetail? I am certain he would not approve."

"Hiccup does not know-but he will," she said more softly.

"And will he be disappointed?" Viggo asked her in a superior manner.

"I am certain of it."

Viggo tutted.

"Such a shame," he scoffed. "You seemed such a happy couple. A secret like this could tear you apart. The deceit, the guilt, the feelings of betrayal…" Astrid lifted her axe.

"It won't work," she told him shortly. "I believed that Hiccup was dead-and I did what I did because of that. Now that it seems he survived…I know I am not worthy of him. I don't deserve him. Seeing the disappointment in his eyes would just kill me." Viggo chuckled.

"It's always disappointment that hurts the most," he said smoothly. Her eyes flicked up sharply.

"No," she said quietly. "It's losing what you love." Viggo gestured.

"You know I just have to shout and my men will come and capture you?" he suggested but she smiled.

"They have other concerns," she said and Viggo blinked, realising he could hear shouting. "I think your base is wrecked, your men scattered and your fleet all but gone."

"I can rebuild," he told her smugly. "You don't understand what a man such as myself values-or what I will do to ensure my own success." Astrid shook her head.

"I am glad that I will never understand a man like you," she admitted and then she stepped out of the shadows. "But you won't rebuild." And she turned her hand over to reveal something that had Viggo's eye widening. A flask that was the twin of one he had smashed, a flask that had been empty when he handed it over to Astrid-but which he assumed she had taken back and given to Hiccup.

A flask that had contained the Wine of Hela.

Astrid smiled.

"I may not understand a man like you-but given enough encouragement, I can think like you," she said as he swallowed suddenly. "You gave me the 'antidote' to give to Hiccup…but he was conscious and aware enough to refuse it-because it was the poison itself. You wanted me to dose him with the very thing that would kill him quicker and remove all hope. I didn't. Instead, I put it where it would do the most good."

And Viggo's head turned to stare at his now-empty bottle of mead and then back at the blonde warrior. Pointedly, she dropped the flask and the empty glass container smashed on the cold ground.

"What have you done?" he breathed.

"I believe it is termed…irony," she said calmly. "The same means you used to try to kill Hiccup. Except this time, there will be no miracle-because of the actions you yourself took." He turned and desperately searched through his desk-but the precious parchment had gone. Astrid smiled. "I destroyed the recipe for the Wine-and the antidote," she told him unnecessarily. "Of course, you could send your men to Frost Isle…if the Fliers hadn't already destroyed the Archives. And if you still had Fliers to make the trip in time. And of course, if your men hadn't gone round the Archipelago destroying all the ingredients required for the cure. In fact, I believe at least two of them no longer exist.'

"But…you Riders know the cure…and you must have some of the ingredients because you got them for Hiccup…" he breathed.

"And I believe they used them all for Hiccup," she said in a hard voice. "And any that remained-well, your attack damaged Berk so badly, do you think they still exist?"

He shook his head, his one brown eye suddenly filled with desperation.

"You must help me…" he said suddenly.

"We did help you," Astrid told him. "Hiccup helped you-and you repaid him with betrayal. You held an axe to my throat and demanded the DragonEye. You called me his future. You wanted to deprive Hiccup of his future unless he exchanged for the DragonEye for me. So I have learned your game, Viggo. I have taken your future." He grabbed the DragonEye and offered it to her.

"Take it!" he said breathlessly. He gestured to the box containing his lenses. "Take them all! Just give me the cure." Astrid frowned and then walked forward, her axe still raised. Carefully, she skirted the Hunter and grasped the DragonEye and the box then backed away.

"The cure is on your desk," she said in a toneless voice. Breathing hard, Viggo stared at the desk, seeing only the empty bottle and goblet-and his sword.

"You have betrayed me!" he growled. She shook her head.

"How far along do you think you will get before you beg for death? Before you crave death?" she asked him sharply. "Blind? Paralysed? Deprived of speech? Or having fits and delusions? And who will look after you, Viggo? There are few men left and none of them are family or kin. Your Tribe is gone. When you lose your authority, do you think they'll stick around? Can you see Johann mopping your brow and putting every resource he could into trying to cure you? Because we gave _everything_ to find the cure for Hiccup-because he is loved by everyone he knows. His friends would die for him-or go to the ends of the world for him to get the cure…or the depths of the abyss to prevent the man who harmed him, who has sworn to kill him, from living to try again." Her eyes glittered with rage.

"Johann knows," Viggo spat. "He will send his men, his resources after you. You will never be safe. You can never return to Berk."

"I already accepted that, the hour I left on this quest," she said evenly. "But I warned them against him. He can't go back to Berk either." Then she allowed her lips to tilt in a small smile. "So what do you choose, Viggo? To wait and see how bad it gets, to enjoy what you put Hiccup through? Or choose to leave and avoid the pain?"

"I could kill you," Viggo hissed. "That would ease my pain. You hadn't considered that…" Astrid smiled then, a cold expression that didn't make it to her eyes.

"No you can't," she said, raising her axe and backing away. She whistled and there was a caw as Stormfly rustled her wings outside the tent. "I'll leave you to enjoy your death, Viggo." And then she paused. "You know-when you tried to kill me, Hiccup threw the DragonEye away, risking the person he loved to save the dragons. When you ran after it and the crater lip broke, he threw himself forward to try to grab you. He said…that it didn't have to end this way." She reached the tent flap. "But from that hour, Viggo, I always knew it did."

Then she vanished through the flap and Viggo stared after her, the anger leaving his body as soon as she disappeared. Automatically, he reached for the goblet-and then, in a fit of rage, he flung it across the tent with an incoherent scream. Finally, he walked to the desk and drew out his pen, dipping it into the ink and writing a short explanation. He sealed it using his seal for the last time and then walked to the tent flap. The guard there looked up.

"Take this to Johann," he commanded and the man ran off, the precious missive in his hand as Viggo retreated to his tent and lifted the sword once more. And then he gave a small smile.

"You know, Hiccup-with tuition, that woman would have made a peerless Maces and Talons player," he sighed. "I never saw that coming." He reversed the sword. "And my only consolation is that you have lost her as a result. The darkness has stained her soul and you are bereft of your lover, your second-in-command and your friend." He gave a small, bitter laugh. "Cold consolation indeed for a dying man."

He gasped as he stabbed the sword up through his front and into his heart and he gave a final gasp.

"I concede victory," he breathed and collapsed to his knees, then onto his face, blood pooling under his body.

Quietly, Astrid peered round the tent flap, the letter in her hands from the guard she had slain. Quietly, she checked he was dead and then walked back to Stormfly, stowing the letter with the DragonEye and the lenses before pulling her hood up once more.

"It's okay, girl," she murmured. "He's gone. So let's sink these ships and go. And he's right. Johann knows who I am and what I've done-and he will be after me." She patted the Nadder on the neck. "Just you and me, girl. But Hiccup will be safe now-that's all that matters."

oOo

Night enshrouded Berk, the wind howling around the Great Hall as Stoick the Vast looked across his people. Many families had opened their doors to neighbours who had lost their homes so the actual number of people with nowhere to stay was pretty small-but he and his son were in that category. Spitelout had offered, of course because the man was kin but Hiccup had looked profoundly unhappy at the idea of staying with the Jorgensons-possibly related to how they had treated him when he was younger-so Stoick had decided to stay up in the Great Hall until his house was rebuilt.

He looked up from his Chief's Chair up behind the Council table, where he was doing his paperwork. There was a fire, adequate seating and shelter and though there was the possibility anyone could come in at any time, it was somewhere they could stay in safety. Toothless was curled up by the bed they had salvaged from the remains of the house and Hiccup was sleeping, with the badly injured Sneaky and his own Sharpshot curled up on the bed by his legs. The Chief had been astonished when his son had explained how he had been attacked and how the dragons-even the desperately injured Sneaky-had raced to his defence.

Tiredly, he rubbed his forehead and pinched the bridge of his nose. Hiccup's tone had been heartbroken when he had explained how Astrid had returned, explained that she had apologised and then she had left him. And he sounded as if his heart was broken. Though he wanted nothing more than to spend his time comforting his devastated and still healing son-but instead he had to have an urgent council meeting, arranging rosters for billets for the displaced, schedules for repairs and construction timetables. The meal had been welcome and the Chief had made sure he thanked the women who had cooked the food warmly and ensured his son had eaten before he settled down to do more work. There were a few others sleeping in various corners of the Hall but Stoick had made sure he and his son had the area behind the fire for their space and had ensured Hiccup was warm.

He found his eyes weighed down with weariness. It hurt his heart to see the village so damaged and though the enemy had been thrown back and Fliers destroyed, the cost had been high. He yawned and blinked. Maybe a walk would waken him up a little…and then he stiffened. Someone was moving stealthily through the shadows, heading for his son and he remained still, his head dropping back and breathing quietly as if he was asleep, though his hand moved slightly to grasp his axe-just in case. But the shape moved quietly and gracefully towards the sleeping Hiccup, his breaths deep and easy. The auburn-haired viking had been exhausted by the stresses and the exertions of the day and his wound-though minor-had been treated carefully by Gothi who had confirmed there was no poison in the blade and that it should heal up well. And Stoick had smiled at his son's brave reply:

"It's only fun if you get a scar out of it."

The shape had reached his side and pushed the hood back, revealing Astrid's golden braid as she had crouched down by the sleeping young man. Toothless had cracked open an eye, his ears having detected her approach-and he had recognised her by her familiar tread and of course, her unique scent-and she raised a warning finger to her lips. The dragon had quietly closed his eye in response, remaining quiet. Astrid had fished an object out of her pouch and Stoick saw the firelight gleam off the medallion he had given his wife on their Betrothal-which his own son had gifted the girl on the same occasion. And his heart broke as she gently rested it in Hiccup's half-curled hand as he slept. Instinctively, his fingers curled around the precious object.

"I'm sorry, my love," she whispered. "But I don't deserve you. I have done some terrible things that you would be ashamed of. I have slain your enemies because they hurt you so badly. And I lost faith. I abandoned you when I should have remained at your side, no matter what. I-I should have had the courage to accept I was going to see you die because you needed me. Instead, I chose the wreak vengeance on those who led us to that place-and left you alone when you needed me most. And I do love you…but I don't deserve you-not any more. After what I have done…I will never deserve you." She leaned forward and pressed a light kiss onto his forehead. "Goodbye, my love."

He shifted slightly, his breathing still deep and even and then he sighed.

"Astrid…"

Eyes closed in pain, she took a shuddering breath, watching him settle down to sleep and then she rose, stepping back from him and turning-to see Stoick's eyes watching her. She nodded and pulled her hood up.

"Lass…" he called softly and she stiffened.

"Sir?" she breathed as he beckoned her over. Reluctantly, she walked to the Council table and then sat opposite the Chief.

"I have to thank you," Stoick said gruffly. Her eyes flicked up guiltily. "Your arrival turned the tide. You did what the others could not."

"Would not," she admitted. Bushy brows dipping over his eyes, he looked honestly into her face.

"Astrid-you're like me: a protector," he said. "I know my son loves all things Dragon and will risk his life for them. I am not quite as sentimental, having killed very many in my life. I protect those I love and my tribe by whatever means is necessary-including killing, men or dragons. And though I know you are the closest to my son, you did what had to be done." He paused. "Is he dead?"

She nodded.

"I gave him the Wine of Hela that he almost tricked me into giving Hiccup," she replied. "And of course, his men have destroyed all clues and the components of the cure. He took his life." And then she reached into her pack and placed the DragonEye on the table, along with Viggo's box of lenses. "He gave me this." And then she fished out the letter. "And he wrote this."

Wordlessly, Stoick broke the seal and scanned the runes, his eyes widening before they flicked up to inspect the blond warrior opposite him.

"You know what this says?" he asked. She shook her head. "He is reporting the defeat to Johann and asking him to destroy you." He frowned. "Johann? But I thought…"

"I sent Sneaky to you with a message-"DO NOT TRUST JOHANN. HE COMMANDS VIGGO." I see Sneaky made it here-though he looks injured." Her voice was calm. Stoick sighed.

"He was badly injured and the message was all but intelligible," he reported with a grim expression. "All we could make out was 'Trust Johann'." Astrid gave a bitter chuckle.

"The opposite of what I had meant," she explained. "Be careful, sir. He is a dangerous man. He has knives concealed in his sleeves and he has a deadly aim…" Stoick grunted in anger.

"Then it was him," he guessed. She frowned.

"What?"

"While Hiccup was still in his coma, Johann visited and an attempt was made on his life," Stoick reported. "He awoke during it-but remembers nothing and his vision was still blurred at that point. Toothless saved him." He paused. "Gobber found knives on the floor."

"That would be Johann," she confirmed. And then she sighed. "Keep him safe, sir. Don't let him off Berk. Protect him." Stoick shook his head.

"You should stay," he told her.

"I cannot," she sighed. "I betrayed everything that Hiccup believes. In the process, I killed a dragon as I took down Krogan. I could not bear to live every day, seeing the disappointment in his eyes, knowing he will never look at me the same. And I love him so much."

"Astrid-he loves you desperately and you leaving him has broken his heart," the Chief told her. "He will forgive you-because he loves you." She sighed.

"Maybe, I need to forgive myself as well," she murmured. "And Johann will send assassins after me-Viggo said as much. I need to go away for his safety. I need to live with what I have done. And Hiccup needs someone who hasn't done what I have."

"He loves you," Stoick said softly as she rose. "You are the only one he wants."

"He should find someone better," she murmured, pulling her hood up. "Tell him I said goodbye. I release him from his Betrothal." And she turned and walked away as Stoick sighed and stared at the DragonEye.

"I don't believe that he'll give up that easily," he sighed as he heard the slight sound of the door close and the faint sound of a dragon taking off. "He's loved you most of his life-and love forgives all sins. But you're as stubborn as my son. I just hope you make peace with your demons, lass-because Berk needs you. He needs you. And I think…he will never give up on you." He glanced at the sleeping shape. "Once he's recovered, Hiccup will follow you to the ends of the world."


	18. Departures

**Eighteen: Broken**

He turned the medallion over and over in his hand, fingers absently exploring every tiny imperfection, every variation in the familiar contour as he tried to understand what had happened. Hiccup took a shaking sigh and closed his eyes, rerunning that day, under the sun at the edge of the market as he had finally given her the gift she deserved…

_"_ _Astrid…"_

_"_ _I…er…I need to check on Stormfly…"_

_"_ _No-no, you don't."_

_"_ _I don't?" She had looked so uncertain, her blue eyes filled with unfamiliar anxiety. He remembered feeling light-headed with adrenaline as he faced the girl he loved, his desire to make the moment perfect._

_"_ _No-you need to stand right here and…and take this in." The medallion was cool in his hand as he had fished it from his satchel and then he had shown it to her, praying she wouldn't scorn a gift that wasn't silver or gold but more precious than either. "This was my father's betrothal gift to my mother." Her eyes had widened as he placed it around her neck. "And he gave it to me-to give to you." Her soft gasp had worried him as she cradled the gift in her hands, her azure gaze sweeping over the old fashioned design and her expression unreadable. "Astrid-you're a part of our family-you always have been. And, I hope, you always will be."_

_But his gentle, hopeful words had been met by a sigh and she had looked away, making his heart clench with fear that she hated the gift-and maybe regretted agreeing to his Proposal at all. But he had rubbed the back of his neck self-consciously. "Er…well…if you don't like it…" he began but she had looked back, the unfamiliar sight of an uncertain Astrid causing him to still._

_"_ _Hiccup-I…it's beautiful. It's perfect!" she told him, easing a little of the pressure in his chest. "It's just I-I didn't get you a gift…" She looked unhappy. "I don't know what to get and I…" His heart soared in relief._

_"_ _Astrid-you got me the greatest gift in the world. You!" And she had smiled then, her unhappiness easing and her hands curling around his as he took them. "You being here with me-is all the gift I need."_

"And you still are," he sighed, opening his eyes to stare at the medallion once more. "I need you more than ever." Quietly, he raised it to his lips and kissed it-before he slipped it over his neck and slid it under his tunic. And then he winced as the burned skin of his brand pulled. "Or maybe this is you telling me that it's over-because you can't marry a slave. Because you can't be with someone who isn't a person any more. Because I'm no longer worthy of you."

And though his heart knew Astrid wasn't that shallow, his fears were swirling around him like a fog. He loved her desperately and to wake and find his Betrothal gift in his hand meant that she had returned and not spoken to him. That she had sneaked in and left him once more. And worse, she had spoken to his father…but hadn't stayed to discuss with him. And his fists clenched in anger and disappointment and just plain despair as he stared down across the village from the space outside the Great Hall. Toothless was curled at his back, refusing to leave him because the Night Fury had sensed that he was in pain and unhappy…

"Hey, H-how're things?" Tuff interrupted him, walking out of the Great Hall, chewing on a hunk of mutton.

"Not great, Tuff," he said. "Just kinda want to be alone right now." The male twin ignored him and sat by him.

"Nah-you need someone here, cheering you up," he insisted and peered at him. "You got any cool scars from Viggo?" Hiccup stiffened and stared down the village.

"You think this is gonna cheer me up?" he asked pointedly.

"Look-you know it's only fun if you get a scar out of it," Tuff reminded him.

"No, it really isn't," Hiccup told him, absently, his left arm bending to protectively press over where his brand was concealed under his tunic. Tuff leaned forward.

"Ooh? You holding out on us?" he smirked. "What's the scar like?"

"None of your business!" Hiccup snapped, his tone sharp. Oblivious, Tuff grabbed at the fabric and Hiccup flinched away, his fists clenching.

"No-you gotta show us, man!" he protested. "Look, I'll show you mine if you…"

"Get off me!" Hiccup shouted, his voice rising with vague panic. What if Tuff saw his brand? The male twin was pathologically unable to keep any sort of a secret-and when word was out, Hiccup was ruined. His birthright, his place in the Tribe, his home…all would be lost. It would finally finish what Viggo and Krogan had started, even though they were now gone. Tuff grinned wildly.

"Come on, young Hiccy," he said, wrestling at the auburn-haired Viking's tunic…and Hiccup lashed out, an allow catching Tuff and then his fist lashing out, dumping the male twin on his ass. "OW! I am hurt. I am very much hurt!" Tuff yelped as Hiccup scrambled up. Toothless was on his face at the frantic cry and gave a shattering roar that echoed up and down the village. Hiccup swung into the saddle as Ruff and Snotlout emerged, staring in shock at Tuffnut whining and clutching at his bleeding nose.

"What happened?" Snotlout asked, his eyes narrowing.

"He attacked me!" Tuff protested.

"Toothless, get me out of here!" Hiccup breathed, his eyes wide and panicked, leaning low over the saddle. The Night Fury responded immediately, growling at the others as they crowded forward and then leaping down the very long and steep staircase to the Great Hall. Halfway down, the dragon spread his great wings and glided down to the Plaza, outpacing the others as they sprinted after him. Not even slowing, Toothless bounded down the village and out of sight. Snotlout stared at the twins and folded his arms.

"What did you muttonheads do?" Tuff sat up, trying the staunch the flow of blood from his nose and shrugged.

"Nothing we've not done a hundred times before," he said sulkily. "I just wanted to compare scars and…" Ruffnut kicked him in exasperation.

"Not the time," Snotlout told him irritably. "Even if he hadn't just miraculously woke from a coma that he should never have survived, he was very badly hurt when he was kept prisoner. Leave the poor guy alone!"

"But he knows I like a good scar…" Tuff whined.

"And has he ever let you see his leg? Anyone?" Snotlout asked him shortly.

There was a pause.

"Well…no…"

Folding his arms, the stocky Viking stared in the direction his cousin had vanished.

"Hiccup is self-conscious," he sighed. "Embarrassed about how he looks. We all teased him from when he was pretty young about being a runt and a fishbone. We still tease him-but when he has Astrid there, he can cope, because she loves him constantly. But this time it was different. He nearly died…nearly nearly _nearly_ died. Forcing him to show the scars he was given when he was tortured so badly…you deserved it, Tuff."

"How dare you!" the male twin protested but Fishlegs, who had arrived at the commotion, nodded his head sagely, even as Ruff scowled at him.

"Actually…I think Snotlout is right," he admitted. "Hiccup suffered a terrible trauma. And he is very brave and determined…but some trauma is so terrible that it has after-effects."

"He punched Tuff!" Ruff protested but Snotlout burst out laughing.

"Ha! So now you know what Thor's Mighty Hammer feels like!" he scoffed, reminding the twins of the time when they had recruited Snotlout to challenge Hiccup to a fight-only to be knocked cold by the skinny Viking's astonishingly powerful blow. Both twins glared.

"Guys-this is serious," Fishlegs warned them. "He may not be the same person we knew." And he stared down the Plaza. "We need to go after him." The twins and Snotlout shared a look.

"Hookfang needs cleaning."

"Barf's claws need polishing."

"So do Belch's."

"Muttonhead-they're the same claws!"

"So they definitely need cleaning!" Fishlegs looked over at Heather.

"Come on," he sighed. "Someone needs to find him and see if he is okay." She nodded and walked post the others.

"Muttonheads," she growled.

oOo

Hiccup arrived in the Arena, still breathing hard and boiling with anger, which surprised him because he really wasn't an angry guy. But for Tuff to invade his personal space, to want to see the scars he had earned for his defiance and the brand that would irrevocably lose him the friends he had come to depend on...it was far too much. Toothless halted in the centre of the Arena, a worried croon vibrating through the dragon's warm shape. Leaning forward, Hiccup rested his hand on Toothless's head.

"I know, bud," he murmured, forcing himself to clamber off the dragon and pace. "But he would have seen. Oh Thor. They would all have known…that I am nothing. Just a piece of property like…" And he cast around the Arena and grabbed the nearest weapon. "Like this axe. Except that an axe has value while I am actually…worthless!" And he gave a scream, attacking the boxes piled neatly close to the centre of the Arena, slamming the weapons rack aside and throwing every weapon he could find across the Arena until finally, he was exhausted and dropped to his knees, his head bowed and covered by his hands.

Toothless gave a small warble and tentatively walked forward, sitting beside his young viking and curling his tail protectively around his rider. Hiccup's shoulders jerked as he breathed jaggedly.

"I wish they had let me die," he murmured.

Pausing at the entrance, Fishlegs looked at Heather and the Berserker nodded, turning to run back up the hill, searching for the familiar flame-haired shape of the Chief. Fortunately, he was up by the storehouses, assessing the supplies and calculating what they would need to find to replenish their stores before the winter really set in. Heather panted to a halt, her eyes wide and Stoick immediately looked at her with concern.

"Sir-it's Hiccup," she said.

By the time they reached the Arena, Hiccup hadn't moved, his head bowed and arms hanging loosely with his hands clasped in his lap. Toothless was curled around him, protecting his little Viking-though he looked up as the solid and powerful shape of the Chief approached, his steps soft for such a large man, his heavy bearskin cloak billowing in the cold wind. Giving a small, worried croon, Toothless slid his tail away to allow Stoick to crouch down by his only child.

"Son," he said gruffly, his tone warm and gentle. A hand reassuringly grasped Hiccup's shoulder as his head raised slowly.

"Hi Dad," the young man mumbled. "Sorry." Stoick squeezed gently, his eyes crinkling with worry.

"You know, I hear Tuff running down the Plaza yelling that he was very much hurt," he said conversationally. "Which almost certainly means he is not. But someone had punched him in the face." Hiccup gave a bitter laugh.

"I've gone through far worse," he commented dryly. "But no one cares why…" Stoick's arm wrapped around the shoulders, feeling his son turned to bury his face in his father's chest.

"I've said it before and I'll say it again-your friends are an odd bunch," Stoick commented gently. "But there's no doubt their hearts are in the right place. They care for you, son-they just have a odd way of showing it." Hiccup shook his head, slowly looking up to show his father the desolation in his eyes.

"And when they find out they wasted their time, they'll outcast me-like everyone else," he said quietly.

"Son…"

"No, Dad! They know the law as do you. I'm branded. A slave. No longer a person. Nothing." He swallowed. "And the will realise they wasted their efforts, risked their lives and their dragons to save me, to rescue me and find the cure when they would have been better letting me die."

"They would never do that, Hiccup," his father said quietly. "You taught them too well, made them the team they are."

"And I can never be their leader, their Chief again…" The last word almost cracked but Stoick squeezed his son gently,

"You are their Chief, son-and they love you," he reminded his son. "You are their Chief-and no one else. They won't care you are marked with the symbol of a destroyed Tribe."

"Astrid cared," Hiccup said brokenly. "She left me because I was nothing. I wasn't worthy of her any more…" But Stoick chuckled and shook his head, causing his son to look up.

"You couldn't be more wrong, Hiccup," he said. "Astrid left because she was ashamed at what she felt she had to do the avenge your hurts-and prevent them ever coming after you again. She destroyed the Hunter Tribe so no one can ever lay claim to you. She killed Krogan and Viggo. Only one remains. Only Johann…"

"Johann? Trader Johann?" Hiccup asked, his voice unconvinced.

"That was what she said," the Chief confirmed. "And she showed me a letter Viggo wrote to Johann. It was sufficient proof that the leader of the Hunters reported to Johann. Trader Johann was in command of the whole enterprise." Hiccup shook his head.

"I-I can't believe…" he mumbled and then he paused. Tiny clues, inconsistencies, coincidences all started to flood through his agile brain. Johann reporting Dagur was alone when Heather flew after him-only to find an Armada. Johann being on Outcast Island as Dagur escaped. The shape he had seen as he woke with Toothless standing over him, roaring in fury at an assassination attempt…the pink puffy sleeves, cap and beard….now resolving into a familiar person that he never would have suspected…though there was still a modicum of cynicism.

He nodded.

"Then she's in danger," he said. Stoick nodded.

"So I believe," he murmured. "And she certainly does."

"She'll be safer here," Hiccup determined.

"She left to keep you safe," his father reminded him, though he recognised the familiar stubborn expression on Hiccup's pale features. The boy still had a significant amount of recuperation to go to regain his fitness and his father realised that the Night Fury rider was planning not to grant himself the time he needed to recover from his close shave with Hela. Hiccup chuckled.

"I ride a Night Fury, Dad," he reminded his Chief. "Not much sure how much safer I can get."

"Oh, you are not going after her, son," Stoick said determinedly. "I forbid it." Hiccup stared levelly into his eyes.

"No power on Midgard can stop me," he said with utter conviction. "I love her and I know she needs me."

"I need you. Berk needs you. The Riders need their leader." His face closed.

"I can't face them-not yet," he said quietly.

"You are going to have to, son," the Chief reminded him. "They're your friends." Hiccup dug his hands in his hair, tugging as he struggled with his emotions.

"And what can I say to them? Sorry Tuff for punching you for trying to invade my personal space, show you the scars I am mortally ashamed of and proving you all wasted your time and efforts on rescuing a broken slave?"

"Perhaps I wouldn't have chosen those exact words," Stoick commented. "I think they may surprise you." Hiccup shook his head.

"It won't work, Dad," he mumbled, his head bowing once more. "I'm broken."


	19. Double Jeopardy

**Nineteen: Departures**

A chill wind blew through the small market on the rather isolated island of Boring. The larger Northern Markets were a preferable choice with a better selection of wares and larger crowds to get lost in but as Astrid moved carefully through the Boring stalls, she knew she couldn't risk running into Johann or any of his men. She had just survived one encounter and though she had warned Berk, she guessed the man would have sent Bounty Hunters after her in the same way that Viggo had after Hiccup. She was very certain, however, that his orders for the bounty would demand delivery of her head and that her body was nowhere near it.

Every sense was on alert as she moved gracefully through the stalls, her eyes scanning for necessities amid the wares. She and Stormfly could hunt and catch fish and meat but she needed bread, salt and other dried stores. Carefully, she bought her items, haggling hard and securing the best prices. The Traders were wary because she was an outsider, a pretty blonde in a hood and cloak, her shape poised and confident but they respected her politeness and skills in haggling. Within an hour, she had got all she needed and with a sigh, she looked around one last time. A large portion of her-the girl raised on Berk, firmly in the small but friendly and welcoming village surrounded by family-wanted to stay, craved company and people. But the pragmatic portion of Astrid the warrior reminded her that she had a target painted firmly on her back and that if she was anywhere near anyone she cared for, they would be in danger. She was better on her own.

As she was heading out, she suddenly found a pair of arms wrapped around her and a voice in her ear growling 'Keep still and this will go easy on you!' She felt the arms lift her off the ground, removing her leverage but the man who had her forgot to cover her mouth. She slammed her head back and heard the satisfying crunch of a nose breaking and as the arms loosened, she bellowed "STORMFLY!"

Eyes turned onto her as she slammed her head back again and the man bellowed, unable to breathe for the blood running from his smashed nose. Squirming free, she managed to get her feet on the ground, instantly using the leverage to hammer her elbow back into the man's gut and then spin free, slamming her boot into his knee, hearing another bellow as he stumbled.

She turned-and a second man grabbed at her, snaring her arm and attempting to pin it across her back. But before he could immobilise her, she flipped round and her feet cracked into his bearded jaw. He staggered and in the moment, she was able to snatch her axe and swung it round, the ferociously keen edge slicing deep into his crotch and splitting him open all the way up to his sternum. His urgent scream coincided with the release of pressure on her arm and a frantic scrabbling to try to stop the fat pink coils of his guts spewing all over the ground. Rolling away, Astrid's eyes locked on the man first with the mashed nose and face coated in blood as she expertly carved the axe round again, brutally decapitating him. And then she stood, breathing hard, her cloak askew and hood knocked back, the blood-smeared axe clamped in her hand as she glared over the corpses of her attackers.

People were standing back and pointing as she approached the closest corpse and searched him, finding a scroll with a terribly unflattering picture of her on above the description bounty of a thousand gold pieces. The Bounty demanded that she was brought dead to the rendez-vous with Viggo Grimborn on Huntersport Island...an island that Astrid had decimated and cleared of the Hunter Tribe. And she knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that this bounty was not set by Viggo but by Johann...using the dead Dragon Hunter's name as a shield to preserve his carefully cultivated anonymity. She snatched the dead Bounty Hunter's belt pouch and his knife then checked the other one out, using her foot to move aside his spilled guts before she relieved him of any money or weapons she could use. And then she looked up-to see a tentative crowd gathering, clasping what weapons they could muster. She rolled her eyes.

"These men attacked me and tried to kill me," she pointed out, holding up the Bounty poster to the shocked crowd.

"And they sure came off worse," one trader-a butcher- called. He was brandishing a meat cleaver that was no match for her axe. She nodded.

"I am a warrior," she announced. "These men's employer-Trader Johann-was working with Hunters who captured my Betrothed and harmed him terribly. I destroyed them."

There was a sudden silence.

"We will consign them to the seas," an older man, an Elder, announced, looking over his fellow villagers. "But you are not welcome here, stranger. We would ask that you leave and do not return. This is a peaceful place."

"I only defended myself!" she said angrily, her scornful blue gaze sweeping across them.

"The trouble followed you, stranger," the Elder called. "We do not need your dangers on our island." She nodded, cleaned her axe on the pants of one of the bounty hunters and then she gathered her scattered wares.

"If anyone asks about Astrid Hofferson, remind them what happened, will you?" she asked as a screech sounded. The villagers all cringed.

"We will!" the butcher promised as a blue Deadly Nadder with a raised golden frill screeched and landed a couple of yards from the girl. She nodded.

"Thor be with you," she called, swinging into the saddle on the dragon's back as people gaped. The awed words 'Dragon Rider' ran through the crowd like a breeze.

"I think you need his help more, Dragon Rider," the Elder called and Astrid nodded as she leaned low over Stormfly.

"Maybe-but I have you, my good girl, and that should be enough," she said as they launched into the grey sky as it began to rain.

oOo

Hiccup lay awake, the events of the day rolling around his head. His insecurities from before he met Toothless were swirling around him worse than ever. No matter what his father said, he was afraid of what his friends would say when they found out that he was branded. A slave. Nothing.

He shifted slightly in his bed, listening to Toothless's heavy breaths as he slept and the snores of his father, echoing up from lower down the roughly rebuilt house. He knew he should feel secure, that his father and Toothless would never permit anything to happen to him-but the only way they could guarantee that would be to keep Hiccup safely on Berk, within the arms of his friendly but indiscreet Tribe. And that would deny the young man his greatest love-of exploring, of discovering new places and new dragons. He would effectively be a prisoner, always staring at the distant horizon and knowing it was forever denied to him. He wondered if it would drive him mad.

But honestly, what was the alternative? No matter what his father said, he was branded by the Hunter Tribe, a slave. And though Astrid had killed Viggo and Krogan and destroyed the Hunter Tribe, he knew any man who uncovered the brand could claim him as an escaped slave and force him into servitude for the rest of his days. And then he would never see Toothless, Berk, his Dad-or Astrid again.

But would he ever see her again anyway? He knew that she had asked him to end their Betrothal, to forget her while she vanished off the face of Midgard. He knew as well as she did that Johann would send Bounty Hunters after her-charged with her death, not her capture-and anyone close to her was in danger. Everything told him that attacking Johann would not be simple-for who would suspect garrulous, inoffensive Johann of being the mastermind behind the Hunters and their appalling actions? And if she attacked him, wouldn't everyone leap to Johann's defence, bringing down Astrid and imprisoning her as insane and a danger to all right-thinking people? And while she was unarmed and in a jail, she would be easy prey for one of Johann's men to finish her. Quietly and without any fanfare, Astrid would die.

He had to find her and bring her home-and then they would find a way to end Johann together. Hiccup was sure that between them, they could formulate a plan that would outmanoeuvre the evil man and put an end to his schemes. She didn't mind that he was nothing...or did she? He blinked and focussed on the roof, the timbers dimly visible in the flickering light of the tiny candle that burned by his bed. He had suffered nightmares since he woke from his coma, visions of the torture swirling around him, the distorted faces of Viggo, Krogan and their men looming at him from the dark. He could still see Krogan as he branded him, the man's deep brown eyes wide with savage enjoyment as he pressed the red-hot brand hard onto Hiccup's bruised skin, the almost orgasmic look of pleasure as Hiccup had screamed in agony at the sizzling burn of his flesh. Instinctively, he pressed his hand onto the healing wound, still tender and pink but clean and he winced. The others could never know.

But Tuff had almost ripped the last shreds of Hiccup's hope away and uncovered the brand. And the young Viking had been astonished at his reaction to the intrusion and that he had hit Tuff, had wanted to hurt him for what he had almost done...and the thought made him horrified at himself. What if he snapped and actually hurt his friends...or worse? Or he asked Toothless? The Night Fury would protect him against anyone Hiccup seemed to be threatened by...and if he snapped, loyal Toothless could kill one of them.

He dug his hands on his auburn hair, tugging as he struggled with his guilt. He had gotten himself captured, ended up poisoned, caused his friends to chase all over the Archipelago and risk their lives to get him the cure, Berk had been attacked to kill him and the woman who loved him had set out to avenge him, losing her home and family in the process. And it was all for nothing because he was a worthless slave.

He slowly sat up, his shoulders slumped and his head bowed. His body felt heavy and the residual weakness of the Wine of Hela meant his stump still jabbed pain at odd times. His left hand, with the healing breaks in his fingers, was stiff and he wondered if he would ever regain what had been taken from him. If he would ever be able to look after himself or if he would always be a burden on others? He sighed and then reached under his bed, pulling out his old satchel, marked with the Berk crest then stared at the image. It was everything that was his birthright and yet he was no longer entitled to claim it. Slowly, he grasped the flask of water by his bed and stuffed it, his notebook and pencil, a couple of knives, spare cartridges for his Dragon Sword and a spare tunic into the satchel. Then he took a deep breath and strapped on his leg, biting down on his lip against the pain. Washed by guilt and a sudden feeling of relief and despair, he looked up-to meet the huge green eyes of the Night Fury, who was inspecting him worriedly.

"We gotta go," he sighed in a low voice. "If we stay here, Berk remains a target...and I am no longer worthy…" The Night Fury gave a small croon and quietly got to his feet, nuzzling his outstretched hand. Hiccup swallowed. "And I am sorry, Toothless-because I know that you would rather remain on Berk...but I can't. I-I just can't…"

The Night Fury licked Hiccup's hand as the young man grabbed his blanket and wrapped it around himself.

"I'm ready," he said and lowered himself to his knees, carefully strapping on the saddle and tail, which had been placed in his room. Pausing multiple times to listen and check his father was still snoring loudly, he finally managed to finish putting the saddle and tail assembly on. Levering himself up to his feet, he swung himself into the saddle and secured his satchel, then checked he was ready. Toothless gave a small whirr.

"Let's go," the young Viking said as they leapt up through the roof hatch and once they had carefully closed it, the Night Fury flapped off into the freezing night.

oOo

Stoick left early because there was a storm forecast and he wanted to assist the fishermen in getting out quickly to the fishing grounds and maximising the catches before the weather closed in. He and Skullcrusher, his Rumblehorn, helped tow the ships out quicker than the light winds could carry them-but it meant he was away and then Chiefing until mid-morning. And it was only then that he returned home-to find his son wasn't there. Puzzled, he headed for the Great Hall...and when no one had seen him, he began to really worry.

Finding the other Riders, he sternly asked them if they had seen his son-and when none of them had, he asked Fishlegs and Heather if they would check Hiccup's room. Usually, he would only have trusted Astrid but in her absence, he knew that Fishlegs was smart and a friend to his son and Heather was trusted by both Hiccup and Astrid. The verdict was stunning.

"He's gone," Fishlegs said. "His satchel, journal, blanket and sword are all gone."

Stoick staggered and his eyes widened in shock.

"Why?" he breathed. "He was safe here. He's still recuperating. Why would the dragon take him away from where he was safe?"

"Because Hiccup asked him to," Heather sighed. "Sir-he loves Hiccup as much as we do. And if Hiccup begged him to take him away, he would. Something has been playing on Hiccup's mind, sir. You saw him yesterday. Do you have any idea why?" Treacherously, the Chief's mind slid back to the image of his son, head bowed and expression despondent, fearing his friends would find out what had been done to him. He nodded.

"He needs his friends," he said. "And he needs you to be supportive and-and kind to him. He will explain, I am sure...but don't give him a hard time. Can you do that?" Fishlegs nodded.

"Assuming we can find him…" he said. Stoick gave a low chuckle.

"I'll ask Skullcrusher to track him for you," he said. "I can't leave Berk at this time, leaving the village without a Chief as well as his Heir and all the most experienced Riders. My friend will find my son for you. What happens then...is up to you." Drawing himself up in pride at the mission he had been given, Fishlegs nodded.

"You can rely on us, sir," he said and glanced over to Heather. She nodded.

"We won't let anything to happen to him," she promised as the Chief nodded.

"Good luck," he said. "And remind my son that I love him, will you?" They nodded.

"We promise, sir," Heather said as they sped down the stairs and out into the cool late morning. The wind was already getting up and the sea was a menacing grey-green, the whitecaps much more prominent as the fishing vessels trailed into port, making ready to lash up tight against the storm. Fishlegs squinted at the iron-grey skies.

"I can't see the twins and Snotlout lining up to volunteer to go out in this," he commented. "Hiccup knew what he was doing." Heather gently rested a hand on his arm.

"I'm not sure what Hiccup is thinking," she reminded the husky Rider. "You saw him yesterday. He's really upset and...and angry at everything he has had to endure. Something triggered him. Something that Tuff did…" Sighing, Fishlegs stopped.

"And that is going to be a problem," he admitted. "The twins have a real downer on Hiccup for that...even though we explained why Hiccup was so upset. Sometimes, they are complete muttonheads!"

"Who are muttonheads?" Snotlout asked, falling in step alongside them. "Oh-let me guess. The muttonhead twins?" Heather nodded. "They're in the Great Hall playing stack the chop." Heather rolled her eyes and muttered:

"Thor help me." But Fishlegs forged ahead, his face very focussed for once. Snotlout chuckled.

"This is going to be fun to watch," he commented. "Fancy a wager, Heather? I'll put two chickens on the twins to not listen to anything Fishface has to say." Heather stopped and glared at him.

"You're on," she said. "Because he needs all our help to go and find Hiccup. To save Hiccup." Snotlout stared at her in outrage.

"Hey-you never said anything about Hiccup!" he protested. "That's not fair-because you know we'll all do everything to help Hiccup!" Heather smirked.

"Should I tell him you said that?" she teased him.

"What? No! Maybe. Yes. Perhaps…"

"Was that a yes?"

"Shut up, Heather!"

The twins were camped on a table to one side of the Great Hall, a wobbling tower of Yak chops placed in the middle of the table with both twins holding yak chops ready to try to add them to the construction. Even Snotlout could see that any attempt to add anything more would cause a catastrophic collapse and he sped forward, ready to help collect the scattered chops. His mouth was visibly watering.

"Guys-we need to talk," Fishlegs said in a determined voice. The twins ignored him.

"Now, dear sister, we complete our epic architectural creation, the Leaning Tower of Chops!" Tuff announced.

"Indubitably, my dear brother Nut," Ruff added-and as one, they added their chops.

There was a moment where it looked as if they had balanced the entire structure...before the whole thing collapsed all over the table. Snotlout and Heather swooped in and grabbed a handful of chops while the twins looked outraged.

"Gettoff our food!" they protested and tried to snatch the chops back off Snotlout. An unseemly brawl broke out before Fishlegs slammed his fists on the table.

"ENOUGH!" he bellowed and everyone froze, looking up in shock at the husky Rider whose outbursts were rarer than Gobber actually singing in tune. "This is important! Hiccup has gone missing!"

Predictably, the twins both glared at him and resumed their seats, folding their arms in unison and sulking at the husky rider.

"Well, that's just great," Tuff said. "Because he should be coming here to apologise to me for punching me!"

"Yeah!" Ruff agreed. "No one punches my brother."

"Except you," Snotlout pointed out through his mouthful of yak chops. "I mean, you punch him all the time."

"And Astrid has punched him as well-fully deserved, by the way," Heather added.

"But Hiccup has never punched him!" Ruff protested.

"No, he just shouts at you-even when you had Snotlout hit him!" Fishlegs pointed out.

"Tuff-what were you doing to make him snap?" Heather asked.

"I just wanted to see his scars," Tuff huffed. "I mean, he's been tortured by Viggo and Krogan so they are going to be AWESOME…"

There was a shocked pause and even Tuff frowned, realising that every set of eyes was fixed on him-and most of them were disgusted.

"Not awesome?" he tried.

"Absolutely not awesome," Heather said sternly.

"How many times has Hiccup stepped up and been captured and interrogated as our leader?" Fishegs asked in an exasperated voice.

"Is this a trick question?" Ruff asked, frowning. "Well, there was that time when…"

"We don't need a list!" Snotlout snapped. Fishlegs looked at him in surprise. "Sorry. But we really don't. The poor guy has never hesitated to make sure they fixated on him and left us alone."

"How many times has Hiccup yelled at you for being idiots and then still come along and helped you do what you wanted to do?" Fishlegs asked. Ruff shrugged.

"About 98 times out of a hundred," she admitted.

"And the other two times?" Fishlegs pressed.

"If he hadn't stopped us, we would have been killed," Ruff admitted.

"Guys-what happened to Hiccup was horrible," Fishlegs reminded them. "You guys may have enjoyed all the explosions and blowing things up and fighting-but I helped Astrid look after him and he was _incredibly_ badly hurt. He was poisoned and he almost died. We chased all over the Archipelago to get the ingredients to save him. And even then, we thought he would never wake. Can you imagine, if you'd been through all of that, suddenly having Tuff coming grabbing at your clothes and wanting to see the wounds you've taken? That you may not..let me think...FREAK?"

"But I only…" Tuff began but Ruff slapped him in the face.

"You and your scar obsession!" she snapped. "Hiccup is our best friend. He's helped us all. No matter how crazy we are, he always has patience. He recognises our genius. He even shows occasional signs of coming over to the dark side and following Loki in some of his crazy plans! What you did hurt him."

"Hey-he hurt me!" Tuff protested. "He punches harder than anyone else here-even Astrid. Ask Snotlout-he's been punched by both of them. And Thor's mighty hammer completed laid out the Snotman!"

"Shut up, Tuffnut," Snotlout grumped.

"It was more than that," Heather said quietly. "He is really struggling. He's angry and hurt and...scared." She rubbed her arm self-consciously. "I can recognise it."

"He thinks he's lost everything," Fishlegs murmured. "I mean, Astrid has left...which we understand...but the rest…"

"Unless there was something else," Heather murmured. "Something that Tuff could see which would lose him his friends…" She looked over at Fishlegs. "You think they branded him?"

There was another silence.

"OOOH! Now that would definitely be AWES...why are you all staring at me?" Tuff exclaimed. "Not awesome either?"

"Definitely not," Fishlegs sighed. "If they branded him, he loses everything-his position as Heir, the tribe, his very freedom…"

"You mean number two may become...number one?" Snotlout asked thoughtfully. Heather glared at him.

"Ugh! I cannot believe that Hiccup has been so badly wounded and our friend is in real pain and distress-and you just think about yourself!" she said in disgust.

"Hey!" Snotlout snapped."I never said I wanted to. I mean, my Dad is obsessed with me taking over from Hiccup-because he has an inferiority complex about his relationship with the Chief and would love nothing more than to supplant Stoick's son with his own as Heir. but the truth is-no one in their right mind would take tactical or political advice from a man who goes down to the docks and bludgeons himself over the head competitively for fun! I never wanted to be Heir-I mean, I've watched Hiccup for years and quite frankly, it looks like far too much work! It would really cut into my beauty sleep. And I may not be good enough to remember all those laws and Treaties and not fall asleep when I'm meant to be being diplomatic. But mainly because I am a Jorgensen and our job is to keep the Haddocks in order, to challenge them and stop them getting too big for their boots. But could you imagine a Tribe with me in charge? I would move out."

Everyone stared at him again.

"That-that is the most remarkably cogent, insightful and frank response I have ever heard you give," Fishlegs stuttered. Snotlout punched him in the shoulder.

"My brain is hurting now so that ain't gonna happen again for another decade or so," he said. "And if you tell Hiccup I said that, I will deny it and get Hookfang to incinerate you."

"And he's back," Ruff grinned. There was a sob and Tuff was lying with his face on the table.

"That was beautiful!" he sniffed. "And I suddenly feel that we should give little Hiccy another chance. Shame on you, brazen hussy, for refusing to contemplate forgiveness for our poor, traumatised leader!"

"Hey! It was you refused to ever forgive him for hitting you!" Ruff snarked back. In a second, yak chops were flying and punches were being traded. Chicken squawked in distress and fluttered under the table as the other three sat down, grabbed a few chops and waited for the twins to finish their 'discussion'. Heather swallowed.

"These are good," she admitted. "So as soon as the twins finish their discussion, we round up the dragons and then we go after Hiccup."


	20. Broken

**Twenty: Double Jeopardy**

Dragon Island was different to how Hiccup recalled it-but then, he hadn't really been back here since the Screaming Death had attacked and half-sunk the island. And though the Gronckle lava had stabilised the place, there were areas that were flooded and half the mountain had collapsed on the eastern side. Much of the low-lying verdant plains and the welcoming valleys had been flooded and only the higher, rocky areas remained. There were still a few trees but Dragon Island was a shadow of the haven it had been before the attack.

Toothless soared over the dismal place as the drizzle really kicked in and Hiccup shivered. They circled the mountain, scanning the unfamiliar silhouette for any familiar features. The eastern flank of the mountain had collapsed, finally erasing the ugly scar that had been torn into its substance by the emergence of the Red Death and the western side was scarred with rockfalls and looked unstable. Waves lapped the sharp-edged black rocks that lay slumped at the foot of the cliff, patiently working to erode the hardened substance as Hiccup and Toothless swooped around once more. The cave they had asked the dragons to stay in during the training exercise where Dagur found out about the dragons was gone, buried and submerged and Hiccup felt his hopes fall. He had banked on staying in the little space but that hope was dashed.

There was a pause and Toothless crooned. Sighing, Hiccup rested his hand on the dragon's neck. In truth, he was feeling cold, exhausted and could barely keep his eyes open. Running away had been a stupid move, born of despair and hopelessness but all it had done was prove what he already knew: that he was a waste of time and effort.

"Can you find somewhere to land, bud?' he asked faintly as the dragon gave a worried warble. He could feel that Hiccup wasn't holding on as strongly as usual and he could hear the heartbeat, faster than before. To the dragon, it was concerning, Of course, Toothless couldn't stop Hiccup doing something stupid-a score of instances where his beloved Rider threw himself off Toothless, sometimes wearing that stupid contraption he had built himself sprung to mind-but the Night Fury would always be there to protect him. Probably from himself. So he swooped round and gave his special roar, the sound waves bouncing back from the uneven surfaces...and vanishing into a black hole in the small but well-concealed cave that yawned almost unnoticed amid the deep shadows behind a jagged overhang. Warbling with triumph, he flipped and arrowed down into the space.

Furling his wings, he felt Hiccup shift and slowly unclip his metal leg from the pedal. The young viking was listing, breathing hard in exhaustion as he stumbled to the furthest corner and huddled down. He laid down his blanket and furs and rested his saddle down, then lay on his side.

"I'm exhausted," he murmured. "Thanks for bringing me here, bud. I needed this. I just need the space to try to process everything." He sighed and closed his eyes. "Wake me if anything happens…"

Giving a worried croon, the Night Fury curled around the young man, his ear-flaps pricked for the sounds of any other life-but for the moment, all his sensitive ears could detect were the whirs and chirp of the Terrible Terrors flittering around the mountain and the grinding of the resident Gronckle herds, masticating through the strewn boulders of basalt and granite. For the moment, all was well.

But as the Night Fury curled up and closed his eyes, the first Dragon Hunter ship closed on the grey, rocky shore…

oOo

The village was more remote, the island smaller but friendly as the young woman walked in from around the headland, explaining she had landed away from the town because she wasn't sure what sort of welcome she would get. Wearing a simple poor woad-blue dress over her other clothes and with a grey cloth wrapped over her golden hair, she was polite and bought bread, salt, dried yak jerky and a barrel for water as well as yak hide. Quietly, she asked if she could maybe stay outside the village. The Elder gave a scowl.

"There are wild dragons out there," he warned her. But she had given a small smile.

"Dragons don't concern me," she replied calmly. "I am from Berk We have dealt with dragons for centuries."

"And rumour has it that you Berkians ride dragons?" the Elder asked astutely. Astrid gave a shrug.

"Some of us do-but we have fought dragons for centuries and everyone has been through dragon training" she explained. "All I ask is permission to live on a remote part of your island, peacefully keeping to myself." The Elder looked at her closely.

"Why?" he asked and she sighed.

"A terrible thing happened to the man I love," she said. "The men who took him are hunting me. I am a danger to those around me." The Elder shared a look with his Chief, a solid, weathered man with a full grey beard.

"We cannot welcome you if you bring trouble, woman," the Chief said gruffly. "Take what provisions you need, in Odin's name, and then leave our shores."

A part of Astrid wanted to yell and scream that she deserved help and shelter, that she deserved to be allowed to hide in the isolated fringes of this remote speck of rock, that she had avenged Hiccup's hurts and slaughtered the Dragon Hunter Tribe all on her own...but there was a corner of her that reminded her what Stoick the Vast would have done. And he, as any Chief, would put the safety and needs of his own tribe way above the request of a stranger.

So she lifted her chin and stared coolly into his eyes.

"I understand you must do what you have to. As I did," she said. "I thank you for your generosity." Then she grasped her packages and turned away.

oOo

Toothless sat up and his eyes pricked. A growl began in his throat, the sound rousing Hiccup as his eyes blearily opened and he blinked owlishly.

"What is it, bud?" he mumbled. Toothless looked at him and there was a worried warble. Rubbing his eyes, Hiccup painfully got up and limped to the door, stiff and lightheaded-and then he peered out, frowning as he saw the ships. Automatically, he fished the spyglass out of his saddle-bag and peered at the Hunter ships, seeing an unfamiliar device on the sails and a different uniform on the men...but a very familiar set of actions as the men prepared nets, bolas and Dragon Root arrows and headed out in a hunting party to captured some dragons. Eyes wide, he stumbled back.

"Oh Thor…" he breathed, scrambling to his pack, fumbling urgently for a sword. But as his hand closed on the hilt, he was already breathing hard, panic almost overwhelming him. Toothless gave a worried croon. Hiccup backed away.

"I can't," he breathed. "I mean, I must be insane. Yes, that's it-I have lost my mind. Maybe I never woke and this is a dream, a nightmare playing out as my mind is hanging on the brink of death, just before the last embers of my life snuff out." He switched hands with the sword and clenched then unclenched his left hand. "I mean, my left hand is still pretty numb so I can't really feel the sword, let alone use it properly. I have no strength or stamina and I'm running away because I am ashamed that I survived, branded as a slave and that my friends will find out and reject me."

Toothless gently nudged him but he dropped to his knees, pressing his hand to his face.

"You should abandon me," he sighed. "I don't deserve you, bud."

There was a sharp slap as the Night Fury hit Hiccup on the face with his ear-flap. The young man just bowed his head, his breaths hitching. Immediately, Toothless nuzzled against his body, crooning worriedly. And slowly, Hiccup curled around the sleek, leathery black body, hugging the head as he breathed raggedly.

"Okay-so you won't leave me, stubborn reptile," Hiccup murmured. "But I can't face Hunters again. They'll be allies, partners of Viggo and his Tribe. I mean-what if they capture me? I-I don't know if I can resist them again. And they will know and I-I…" He slapped his hand to his face. "What is wrong with you, Hiccup?" he asked savagely. "You are the son of a Chief, descendent of seven generations of Chiefs of Berk. You are meant to be fearless. Gods, you faced a dragon the size of this mountain and saved the Tribe. You lost a leg doing it. All that happened was that some men, some _human_ men, took you and beat the crap out of you...and tortured and branded and poisoned you and left you to die horribly…"

Toothless curled around him, the tail wrapping tightly around the young man

"I'm sorry, bud," he murmured, his voice broken. "I should have stayed at home. And staying at home would crush me, because my heart, my soul belongs out there. But...I'm afraid. If I move, they will find me and then…" He gave a small choking sob. "It's over. Viggo has won." Toothless gave a small whine and nudged the young man. Hiccup pressed his hands to his face. "Gah! I hate this! Why now? When they attacked Berk, when I was facing them, I was willing to fight for my life, to protect Nubbin...but that was before Astrid left me. Before she ended the only dream I ever wanted to come true…"

The dissonant clang echoed through the little cave as the sword fell to the uneven rocky floor of the cave, clattering as it settled. But Hiccup curled up, his arms wrapping around his legs and face buried in his knees. Toothless nuzzled and the one-legged Viking wrapped his arms tighter around his legs, a hand clasping his prosthetic.

"I can see why Astrid left me," he murmured. "I mean-why would such an amazing woman want me? I'm incomplete, I'm a slave, I'm still weakened by the poison, I'm a coward, I'm...nothing…"

Worried, Toothless nudged him once more. Hands trembling, Hiccup curled up tighter, his voice barely audible..

"It's over…"

oOo

Skullcrusher was standing in the Plaza, huffing impatiently as he stood beside an equally impatient Stoick while the Riders slowly assembled. Heather and Fishlegs shared a look as the twins trailed in late, still sucking their fingers from the yak chops they had managed to rescue after their fight from the others. Snotlout swiftly mounted up on Hookfang and the Monstrous Nightmare knew from the Chief's expression not to make any move.

"About time," the Chief huffed.

"Sorry, Chief," Fishlegs said, trying not to look as if he was glaring at the twins and Snotlout but Stoick knew his people well enough to understand.

"Skullcrusher has Hiccup's scent," he said gruffly. "As a tracker, he will be able to locate my son." And then he paused and his voice lowered to a growl. "I want Hiccup brought home to safety...but most of all, I want him to feel safe and valued."

There was a pause.

"Er...Chief...what happened to 'We're Vikings, it's an occupational hazard,'?" Fishlegs asked. Stoick folded his arms.

"He's my son and I love him," he murmured. "And Hiccup knows what is at stake. He knows the price that has been asked. And he almost paid it. But he's hurting. You are all his friends and I hope he will open up to you as he won't to me. I know he misses Astrid and I think that has hurt him badly. I don't know why he ran but he needs the family he chose to support him. That family is you."

"Us?" Tuffnut asked incredulously. "I mean, Chief-even our own family would vote us out if they could."

"It's true-even our Aunt Cuffnut, Uncle Duffnut, Cousin Fluffnut and even Cousin Gruffnut are all more popular than we are! No one wants us around…" Ruff added without any rancour. "I mean we are the least popular nuts in a whole family tree of complete nuts…"

"Except Hiccup knows you are two of his best friends," Heather told her firmly. "Look-you all have been with him since the beginning. He trusts you. He's saved all your lives-all our lives. And yes, Snotlout-I know you guys all worked really hard to gather the antidote to save him but honestly, that's what friends do. He needs you guys."

"And being Hiccup, he will never ask for your help," Fishlegs pointed out.

"Except to save dragons," Snotlout pointed out.

"Well, yes," the husky rider admitted. "But that's not for him. And he always surrenders himself when it goes wrong. Whenever we're captured, he's the one who steps forward, who has to face the Hunters or Outcasts or Berserkers or…" Heather nudged him hard, seeing Stoick's face darken with anger and concern at his words. "And..I'm shutting up now…"

"The weather isn't getting any better," Stoick interrupted, squinting against the rising breeze. The rain was starting as well, stinging their eyes. "My son is out there." The Riders mounted and Stoick rested his hand on the iridescent Rumblehorn's nose. "Find my son, my friend."

Then he stood back as the dragon launched with a powerful roar and accelerated up into the worsening storm. And without hesitation, the dragon riders followed in search of their leader.

oOo

The cries of the Gronckles caused Hiccup to press his hands over his ears, his eyes screwed shut in misery and shame. Immune to Dragon Root, the only way to capture them was through good old fashioned brutal means using bolas and nets and traps-and many were hurt in the process. And every whimper and roar of distress reminded Hiccup of the Gronckle he knew best: Meatlug. Gentle, kindly Meatlug who was more of a mother to the dragons than any of the others. Who loved her rider with all her draconic heart and who would willingly expend every ounce of her energy to help Fishlegs if he asked her. And these were her kin, her flock that she had mobilised to save Dragon Island when the Screaming death attacked and tried to sink the land beneath the waves on its lethal route towards Berk...and Outcast Island beyond.

He was aware of the pounding of his heart, the rate racing as if it would explode in his chest from anxiety and fear. But shame was starting to kick in harder, picking the kernel of pride in being the son of Stoick and Heir to Berk. Of being the son of a line of seven Chiefs and the protector of dragonkind.

_Some protector you are! Cowering here as those Hunters capture and drag off those dragons. They're crying for your help, Hiccup! And what are you doing? Nothing!_

_Astrid would be ashamed._

_She's already ashamed. That's why she left._

_Muttonhead! She left because she was ashamed of what she felt she had to do to avenge you and prevent them coming for you. She knows that Johann will never let her live and she had to vanish to protect you and everyone else. And she did all of that for you to cower here?_

_But if they capture me…? I-I…_

_Then don't let them capture you! For Thor's sake-you have a Night Fury at your side! And you are a skilled fighter…_

_I was. Before the Wine of Hela. Now...I'm not the warrior I was…_

_But you're here. And they need you. So are you going to be the stubborn muttonhead that Astrid loves and who wants to go and find her? Or become a wretched shell of the man Viggo feared? Do you want to let him win and leave dragon kind unprotected once more?_

Toothless crooned and nudged the discarded sword towards him. And suddenly, his eyes snapped open and his trembling hand stretched out, closing on the hilt and gasping the sword. He gritted his teeth, feeling the muscles cramp but he forced his hand to tighten.

"You're right, bud," he murmured as he slowly uncurled and scrambled to his feet. "They need us. And I need to do this. I need to remember who I am and become the person I was once more." The Night Fury warbled. "Now what you say we show those Hunters that Dragon Island is under the protection of the Dragon Riders?"

Toothless gave a wide, gummy grin and waggled his butt eagerly, sensing the change in his Rider. Somehow, the sadness has lifted once more and he was once again the Hiccup he loved. And there was a new determination in his voice and eyes as he clipped the prosthetic into the pedal and leaned forward.

"Let's go!" Hiccup said as they launched.

oOo

The Riders broke through the storm into a grey day with an angry greenish sea below them. Skullcrusher was flying steadily and directly on and the Riders had no choice but to follow-though Snotlout was cowering because there had been a few flashes of lightning in the clouds and he was adamant that he wasn't getting struck by lightning once more.

"Who knows? One day, I may not remember how to speak again?" he asked as the twins shared a look.

"We can only hope," Fishlegs muttered, for the stocky viking had been complaining non-stop for the last hour. Heather rolled her eyes.

"Thor help us all," she murmured in response and the two then met each others' eyes and then burst out laughing. The others looked at them in shock and the twins shook their heads.

"I knew it-it's the strain," Ruff commented. "They should cut loose and move over to the ways of Loki."

"Poor little Hiccy," Tuff sniffed. "He was showing signs on and off of coming over to our side, sister Nut. And now he's all lacking in confidence and needs us to help him regain his self-belief! And we shall!" He gestured wildly with his fist and almost knocked himself out, for he was holding Macey. Snotlout scowled.

"Is anyone gonna talk about the Gronckle in the room?" he asked. Fishlegs frowned.

"You know I don't like that expression," he commented, glaring at the stocky rider.

"Not Meatlug!" Snotlout snapped. "We seem to be heading towards Dragon Island…"

"I thought this way looked familiar," Tuff commented.

"Isn't it mostly underwater?" Heather asked. "You told me it had been partially sunk by the Screaming Death?" Nodding. The husky rider smiled at the raven-haired Berserker.

"It has stabilised but we haven't really travelled here since the war with the Berserkers ended," he admitted. "Though I should have categorised the new species taking over the vacant and novel ecological niches and recorded which species vanished from the island after the environmental disaster…"

"Yeah, that sounds like the most boring trip in the history of Berk," Snotlout commented. "Count me out."

"I don't even understand what he's talking about," Tuff whispered loudly so everyone could hear him.

"Hiccup would!" Fishlegs protested. "He'd geek about it with me!"

"If we can find him, you can geek away to you heart's content," Ruff said with a nod.

"Provided we can persuade him to come back," Heather said thoughtfully. "Look, I know how it feels when you believe you have lost everything. How you want to hide away and avoid people because you can't trust what they will say."

"Or anything my muttonheaded brother will do," Ruff piped up. "Especially anything my muttonheaded brother will do."

"Shameless hussy," Tuff grumped. "I was all in favour of forgiving our poor little Hiccy and you, with your vindictive…"

"That was you! You buttheaded lunatic…" Ruff shouted and tried to get Barf to slam against Belch. The two-headed Zippleback banged against each other and the twins were almost knocked off.

"HEY!"

"This is REBELLION!"

"You know, I can see why Hiccup looks so stressed and rolls his eyes so much," Heather commented as the twins continued to fight while their dragon intermittently bashed them against each other.

"They do usually listen to him," Fishlegs reminded her. "I think we're all worried about him. Even…" His eyes drifted to his left and the stocky shape sitting on the Monstrous Nightmare.

"Hey! I promised if you told anyone…"

"Heather was there," Fishlegs reminded Snotlout.

"Fine. And I do worry...because why should I have to eat into my beauty sleep and fitness regime by having to lead you when it's Hiccup's job?" the stocky young man retorted.

"And you think they would put you in charge?" Fishlegs shot back. "Hiccup usually puts me in charge of you three muttonheads when Astrid isn't around because he knows none of you have the discipline…"

"Maybe for a couple of hours-but for ever? Dream on, Fishface!" Snotlout retorted,

"Guys! None of this will be necessary if we find Hiccup," Hather interrupted calmly. "But we need to think of how we'll approach it when we find him." Snotlout looked at her in incomprehension. "I mean...if he has been branded?"

There was a sober silence.

"Maybe we should just ask Hiccup about it?" Tuff asked suddenly. Snorting scornfully, Snotlout shook his head.

"And you think he'll just 'fess up?" he scoffed.

"No, he's got a point," Fishlegs said thoughtfully. "Either he'll tell us the truth or he'll try to lie."

"And my cousin is the worst liar on Berk. Probably ever," Snotlout commented.

"Yeah-we noticed," Ruff put in. "I mean, when we were trying to get Barf'n'Belch back, he was definitely the weakest link."

"I mean, his acting was weak and unconvincing, he could scarcely deliver a line and he wouldn't have convinced Toothless that he was in any danger…" Tuff added.

"Until we actually almost crushed him with that log avalanche," Ruff reminded him.

"That was the best plan to kill Hiccup, ever…" her twin reminisced with a smile. Heather's eyes widened.

"Are they serious?" Heather asked and after a pause, Fishlegs nodded.

"Yes, they did almost crush him," he admitted. "He had saved their dragon from an avalanche and Barf'n'Belch transferred their loyalties to Hiccup. They haunted him, in fact...until he was captured by Hunters and the twins flew in and saved their dragon."

Skullcrusher roared and the group all suddenly looked ahead at the familiar shape of the island, much closer than they had realised-with the unmistakable shape of Dragon Hunter vessels clustered by the shore.

"Has anyone noticed the Hunter ships attacking Dragon Island?" Snotlout snarked as the entire group stared in shock.

"But...I thought Astrid had wiped them out…" Fishlegs gabbled as Heather narrowed her eyes.

"They aren't Viggo's Tribe," she said. "But there are a whole network of people who they traded with and who also trap dragons. These are the Blood Axe Tribe…" The sails flapped, the crossed axes with blood dripping from one obvious on the material. "Vicious and cruel. They especially take Gronckles to manufacture Gronckle iron…"

"Then we need to stop them-right now!" Fishlegs announced. "Riders-let's go!"

"Hey-is Fishlegs in charge now?" Tuff asked rhetorically.

"If there's a Gronckle in danger, I'm not arguing with him!" Ruff told him.

"ATTACK!" the husky Rider screamed as Heather paused, hearing the unique whine of a Night Fury wings slicing through the air.

"Ruff, Tuff-take the ship to the left," she shouted. "Snotlout-you and I will take the ship to the right. Fishlegs-go help Hiccup!"

Not even pausing to argue, the Riders split and headed into the battle, seeing the familiar shape of Toothless wheel around and launch a purple plasma blast at a cluster of Hunters who were trying to hold some netted and chained Gronckles. Without arguing, the Riders accelerated into the battle and split, taking on the unfamiliar Hunters with gusto and easily evading their attacks with bolas, arrows and nets. The men thought that they could capture them and had no inkling that they were facing the scourge of Viggo and his Tribe. Glancing up, Heather saw Hiccup lean forward and rolled Toothless, blasting away at the men who were corralling the handful of Gronckles, allowing the traumatised dragons to break free.

Shocked by the attack, the Hunters briefly wavered and a few retreated but their leader-a burly man with a scarred face and piercing ice-blue eyes-roared and lifted his axe, waving at the riders.

"Get back to your stations!" he yelled. "We've heard about these and that Grimborn pussy couldn't deal with these. Now we can show them what a real Hunter is like to face!" The twins flew a loose circuit, trailing bright green Zippleback gas as they glared at them. Tuff automatically ignited the explosion that blasted one of the ships apart.

"You know, I feel insulted," he said. "These guys don't even know who we are?"

"Some people don't give you any credit," she agreed in a disappointed voice.

As they flipped around, Hiccup saw the men still going after a handful more of the Gronckles, seeing them terrified and distressed. Several were hurt and were trying to flee on foot. Without hesitating, the auburn-haired Viking swung round and Toothless blasted them back, seeing them scatter as they flashed by-but the leader flung himself at the dragon and Hiccup felt the breeze as the man flew past-but the Hunter yelled and grabbed a net-launcher, firing a heavy dragon-proof net at the Night Fury and tangling the tail. Toothless gave a suddenly distressed roar, sagging and landing heavily.

Barely conscious of the presence of the other Riders, Hiccup was thrown from the saddle and found himself facing the bigger and heavier man. Scrambling to his feet and forcing his left hand to tighten around the sword, he took a deep breath and levelled hsi gaze at the man. But the Hunter gave a scornful laugh.

"Odin above! You think you can challenge me, boy? You really are a disappointment!"

Hiccup shifted his weight and kept his eyes locked on the man, inching sideways towards Toothless.

"I may have been called that before," he said evenly. "But before you say any more, maybe you wanna ask Viggo where his organisation is?" He leaned forward. "Unless you already have and know why he lost it all."

"You?" the Hunter scoffed. "I heard there was a rogue dragon rider-a girl-destroying his ships…" Hiccup smiled at him.

"My girlfriend and second in command," he said. But the man lunged forward.

"Then I even the score!" he roared and Hiccup just about managed to parry, the impact tossing him back a couple of paces. Unbalanced, he barely managed to duck under the next swipe before he staggered towards the dragon. He felt a glancing blow across his shoulder and gave a low grunt as he threw himself forward, the sword clanging on the net wrapped around Toothless's tail. But the dragon reared up and batted the Hunter back as Hiccup rolled, feeling hot blood on his shoulder from where the axe had ripped away his pauldron and nicked his skin.

"Call your men off!" he grunted, rolling to his knees. The Hunter rolled the axe in his hands.

"I'm killing you and then I get the Night Fury!" he snarled, Explosions and roars sounded around them as Hiccup felt his anger rise. _Every Hunter was the same: all they wanted was to kill and destroy and take. Take dragons' freedom. Take away peace. Take away his freedom and his life._ So, without thinking, he threw himself forward as the Hunter was ready to attack after the impact by the Night Fury, the sword sliding into the Hunter's body.

The Hunter was still collapsing, dead as the Riders began to land around him. Feverishly, Hiccup turned back to Toothless and carefully unfastened the net, resting a gentle hand on the scaly skin of the tail.

"You okay, bud?" he murmured as the Night Fury warbled and briefly nuzzled him as he turned back to his friends. The battle was over, the remaining Hunters fleeing in their single badly-damaged ship but they had found him. Fishlegs looked over at his friends and then dismounted, walking towards his leader and friend. "Hey, guys," Hiccup began as they all dismounted.

"It's okay, Hiccup," Fishlegs said. "We know."


	21. Faith and Hope

**Twenty One: Faith and Hope**

"It's okay, Hiccup," Fishlegs said. "We know."

Hiccup froze, his entire world crashing around him. He hoped and prayed that they didn't, that they knew something less catastrophic than the truth about his total and non-existent worth. That they had wasted their efforts and risked their lives and their dragons for nothing more than a worthless slave.

"Oh?" he managed, his emerald eyes wide and expression totally shocked. "Wh-what do you know?" Heather sighed, her expression sympathetic but Snotlout was leaning forward on Hookfang's horns and appearing exasperated.

"We can see the brand," he pointed out bluntly, his voice harsh in the silence. Almost jumping, Hiccup glanced over where his armour had been ripped away by the Hunter's axe-and there was the corner of the reddish-pink brand, clearly visible in the defect. He cringed back.

"It's...I…" he managed and backed up a pace. "I'm sorry," he murmured. There was a more awkward silence, punctuated only by the thump of feet as all the Riders dismounted and then as the twins came to stand on each side of the auburn-haired rider. Hiccup scarcely dared breathe in the pause and then they wrapped him in a Thorston sandwich hug. Ruff rested her head on his shoulder and Tuffnut pulled his face into his neck.

"It's okay," the female twin said. "You have nothing to apologise for."

"We should be apologising," Heather added. "We should have realised."

"Kept it a secret," Hiccup mumbled, his voice muffled. "Because knew when you knew that you'd reject me and realise you had wasted your time."

"Hiccup!" Fishlegs said in shock. "We would never…"

"Actually, we should," Snotlout cut in, his voice angry. "I mean, the law says he is a slave. That he can't be the Heir any longer, that anyone who finds him can claim him as a slave because he has been marked…"

"SNOTLOUT!" Heather snapped.

"I'm not saying it's right, I'm just saying what we should be doing," the stocky rider pointed out, his brows dipped. "Look, I know the law-and so do you. And so does he. That's why he ran, after all!"

"'Sright," Hiccup mumbled as Tuff stroked his head, still hugging him.

"That is just weird," Snotlout commented.

"Well, I don't see you trying to comfort our distraught leader," the male twin snapped back. Hiccup gently tapped his arm and as he released him, the one-legged Rider took an urgent gasp.

"AIR!" he choked and took a couple of desperate breaths.

"Um...sorry?" Tuff tried.

"Muttonhead! We're supposed to be making him feel better, not suffocating him!" Ruff snarked.

"Well, if we had wanted to do that, Butt-Elf, I would have made him sniff your hair!"

"What's wrong with my hair?"

"Apart from the fact it stinks of rancid fish oil and is incredibly attractive to scauldrons? And gulls? Lemme think?"

"Guys!" Fishlegs said pleadingly.

"Will you two just SHUT UP?" Snotlout yelled as Hiccup sighed.

"You should go," he said wearily but Heather walked forward and touched his hand.

"You're hurt," she told him.

"I'll live," he reminded her, his shoulders slumped.

"Can we please get out of this rain and then we can angst away to our heart's content?" Snotlout snarked, ducking under Hookfang's wing. The iron-grey sky had broken and rain was steadily lashing down on the Riders. Hiccup's hair was sodden and rain was trickling down his pale face. He gestured as Toothless bounded forward and lifted his wing over his Rider with a worried croon.

"There's a cave up on the right side of the mountain," Hiccup admitted and gestured. Fishlegs swiped the rain off his face.

"Okay-lead on!" she said amiably. "And then we need to talk."

Hiccup turned away and slowly mounted the Night Fury, flying up to the cave without looking back as the Riders followed. They were all shooting worried glances between themselves as they followed their leader round, through the worsening storm and into the little cave. There was just enough room for all the dragons to land and take positions as Hiccup retreated to his little corner with Toothless, resting back against the Night Fury, the tail curled protectively around his hunched shape.

"I know what you're going to say," Hiccup said despondently. "Tuff is going to ask to see the brand. The rest of you are all curious. And Tuff will say it's awesome when he sees it, even though it hurts and just knowing it's there is like having an iron collar around my neck."

"He's right," Tuff admitted as the others scowled at him. "What? I love scars. I mean, our Uncle Other-Gorstag was covered in them and when he came back from one of his voyages, he would always show us whichever cool scar he had got on the way. He was my favourite Uncle…" His voice had grown dreamy.

"Really?" Snotlout asked in an exasperated voice. Then he folded his arms. "Look-they're muttonheads, Cuz. Most of us are. Because we're Vikings of Berk and...well, I think I heard you describe us as tough and tasteless. And you're not wrong. But that doesn't mean we don't care! You are our leader, our Chief, the heart of our team-and there isn't a single Rider-or dragon-here who wouldn't lay down his life for you. We...love you. Not in any weird way. So you don't have to show us if you don't want." Ignoring Tuffnut's whine of protest, Hiccup looked up and saw honest concern in his cousin's blue eyes. Snotlout was his most constant critic and rival, always challenging him and frequently going his own way-but in his heart, Hiccup knew he could rely on him. And he realised that when things were at their worst, Snotlout would be at his side.

"Thanks, Snot," he said quietly. "That means a lot to me. Really." And then he quietly started to unbuckle his leather tunic, sliding it over his head and immediately looking thinner. He had lost a lot of weight during his illness and hadn't regained any so seeing him in his red tunic had them all struck once more at the stubbornness and brilliance in the skinny frame. Sighing, he bowed his head and grasped the hem of his tunic and pulled it over his head with a jerk. And then he kept his head bowed.

Everyone stared, seeing the skinny shape with collarbones and ribs far too prominent, the lean muscles taut under pale, lightly freckled skin. And the scars...far too many scars for such a young man. Some were clearly small burns from his time in the forge but there were clearly the marks of weapons-scars from cuts and tears, relics from battles past. The wide, ugly gash from a whip lash writhed across his stomach that heaved as he breathed too quickly, fearing their reaction. The fresh wound of his recent battle was still oozing on his left shoulder-but just by it was the ugly pink scar in the shape of the Dragon Hunter Tribe, the dragon with the sword through the tail and into the body familiar to them all. Tuff gasped.

"Whoa…" he breathed, his eyes round with admiration. And then he sighed. "I can see why you wanted to hide it. And why you freaked when I wanted to see it. I-I'm sorry."

There was a shocked pause and Hiccup peeked up from under his bangs.

"Who are you and what have you done with Tuffnut Laverne Thorston?" he asked.

"Hey! That was my line!" Ruff protested.

"I think we all wanted to ask that!" Fishlegs commented as they all inched closer. "That is a big brand."

"It would be difficult to hide," Heather murmured.

"That must have hurt," Ruff murmured as Hiccup bowed his head again. He nodded once. Slowly, they clustered around him, kneeling at his side and hands gently resting on his shoulders and arms to comfort him. No one spoke as his throat worked and Toothless gave a soft croon. The other dragons inched closer as well until they were all wrapped in a protective cocoon around the bowed shape of Hiccup.

"Thanks, guys," he murmured, lifting his head. "It means a lot to have you here." There was a pause.

"Did Astrid know?" Heather asked gently and Hiccup nodded.

"She knows everything," he said quietly. "She was with me when I went blind, when I lost the power of speech, when all hope was lost. And that was why she destroyed the Hunter Tribe. If there was no Hunter Tribe, how could they claim me as their slave?"

"Which is fine as long as no one else finds out that you have a slave brand," Fishlegs commented.

"And that is always a risk," Heather agreed.

"So we have to do something about that brand," Snotlout mused. "Can we burn it off?"

"That's illegal," Fishlegs said nervously. "Penalty for erasing a slave brand or helping removal of a slave brand is slavery."

"And who's gonna tell them, Fishface?" Snotlout snarked.

"He's right," Hiccup said heavily. "And I don't want you to put yourselves at risk for me…"

There was another shocked silence and Meatlug farted in distress.

"What?" Snotlout spat. "First off-agh! Can't you put a cork in Meatlug? And second-Hiccup, you risk yourself for us all the time. I mean _all_ the time! You never hold back when one of us in danger, you give yourself up to make sure we are safe...you think we wouldn't do the same for you and Toothless? It's our turn now. Let us help you."

"Thanks, Snot," Hiccup said gruffly, his hand resting against Toothless. "But you do know that burning off a brand will cause more damage and scarring than the brand itself?"

"Well, if you're going to be critical…" the stocky rider grumbled. Fishlegs frowned, a hand tentatively stretching out-and then lightly touching the soft, fresh scar tissue. Hiccup hissed and the husky rider winced.

"Sorry…" he murmured. "I don't know...I mean, there was nothing in the Archives about erasing this...and…"

"You can't," Hiccup told him flatly. "I've had enough burns to know they never go. So has Gobber. Face it...I'm stuck with this…"

"We can't give up," Heather said, though her voice was doubtful. But Tuffnut's eyes widened and he gave a sudden smile.

"Objection, your Heather," he said in his most manic voice. "We don't ever give up. Ever. Especially not where little Hiccy is concerned…"

"Hiccy?" Hiccup said doubtfully.

"Yes, my beloved leader and friend," Tuffnut gushed. "We don't erase the brand-we make a feature of it. One we all share…"

"Oh Thor, what is that muttonhead going on about now?" Snotlout groaned.

"We are not all getting branded, Tuff!" Heather said firmly.

"Of course we're not. Only an idiot would imagine that!" the male twin snarked back. Snotlout frowned and opened his mouth to retort back but Ruff elbowed him in the middle. "No-we use it as a sign of our dedication to stop Hunters and end their vile ways!"

"OW!" Fishlegs yelped, having been hit in the face by Tuff's extravagantly flung out arm.

"That...possibly makes sense…" Hiccup murmured, frowning. "Tuff-what do you have in mind? And why am I asking...oh Thor…"

"Trust me, little Hiccy," Tuff assured him.

"I'm not sure that would be the wisest thing to do," Snotlout commented. Hiccup made a shushing gesture: he had long since learned to listen to what the twins were saying because though they were often crazy and irrelevant, they were also prone to flashes of brilliance.

"What are you thinking, Tuff?" he asked. The male twin grinned.

"Do you have any squid ink?" he asked.

oOo

It had taken another four villages before Astrid had persuaded one to grant her permission to live on their remote island, introducing herself as an exiled Shield Maiden whose best friend had been slain by enemies. The village that finally offered her a haven were a sullen group, their Chief a wiry man with straggly beard who had sternly warned her that they would not want any trouble and that they would chase her off the island if she broke their rules.

Quietly, she had agreed and struck out to make her home on the opposite side of the island to the village, meeting with Stormfly once she was out of sight and reconnoitring the area from the air before choosing the best place to make a home. Landing in the little sheltered valley, she had staked out the area for a small hut and her skills with her axe had helped her swiftly construct a basic shelter and prepare a fire before her Nadder ably fished and provided her Rider with food.

"What would I do without you, my good girl?" Astrid murmured, looking up into the scaly face, her hand trailing under the chin and feeling the small, soft scales there. "You are the only person who can be here for me, aren't you?"

It didn't take long for the young woman to weatherproof her shelter and start to stock up wood, herbs and fish. Though she had concentrated on her skills as a warrior, she had still dutifully taken lessons from her mother and aunt on the use and preparation of herbs for cooking and simple remedies as well basic food preparation and cooking. Since she had almost poisoned half the village with Yaknog when she was fifteen, she had worked hard to improve the deficiency in her culinary skills and though she wasn't a good cook, she was competent and could produce edible (though not interesting) food. No one asked her to cook at the Edge of choice and when it was her turn, the other Riders were less than enthusiastic about her efforts. Except Hiccup, who had always eaten what she had produced with a smile and a compliment, even that burnt yak roast which had crunched all the way through.

She smiled and felt a pang of pain. He was a dork, a generous, caring and thoughtful young man who was precisely the opposite of what she had imagined she would want as a young girl. But he was exactly what she needed and she had thrown everything into avenging his hurts. She had thought him dead and every time she realised that she had left his side when he needed her, guilt shot through her. And now she was hunted by Johann's Bounty Hunters and if she was anywhere near people she cared for, they could get hurt. Horrific images of Hiccup when he was recovered from the Bounty Hunters flashed across the memory, seeing his bruises and welts in her memory. And she knew that Johann wanted her dead.

"I have to disappear, Stormfly," she murmured. "I have to vanish. And if anyone comes looking for me, I have to run. And I'll have to keep on running until the end of my days-or until the end of Johann's. But for now, he is too powerful and too cunningly concealed by his facade of being a simple Trader. Too many people would step up to protect him from me because they wouldn't believe what he is."

Stormfly trilled and nuzzled against her and the girl snapped a stick then tossed it onto the fire.

"We have to remain hidden, girl," Astrid repeated. "And I have to spend the rest of my life without Hiccup, knowing he is safe on Berk, because I am just too dangerous to be around. One day, they will find me-and then I may not be able to stop them. And on that day, I have to know that he is safe. If Hiccup is safe, everything will have been worth it."

oOo

"Tattoo?" Hiccup's voice was incredulous. "What do you mean?"

"It's a form of body art practiced by some peoples far beyond the Archipelago," Tuffnut explained.

"You mean they paint themselves? Permanently?" Heather asked. Tuffnut nodded.

"I am sure that many of you have heard of the Britons who live in those islands far to the southeast," he began in a lecturing voice. "Well they paint themselves with a blue dye called Wode. And when they injured themselves when they are wearing Wode, the wound remains the blue colour."

"Maybe that's just due to some almost lethal infection-which is what Hiccup will get if he follows this stupid plan!" Snotlout exploded.

"Some of the Inuit peoples of the Great Island to the West have symbols all over their faces," Tuff continued. "And some warriors paint themselves with tattoos to frighten their enemies."

"I think our enemies are not what we should be scared of," Hiccup protested. "I mean, can you imagine my father if I turned up covered in British or alien tattoos?" His voice deepened to a thick growl. "Son-I'll nae have a son of mine, let alone a Hooligan looking like one of those painted Heathens! Take that rubbish off your face straight away!" His voice returned to a normal, mildly panicked tone. "He'd exile me quicker than when he found out about Toothless!"

"I doubt it," Ruff commented. "I mean that was pretty instantaneous." They all looked at her. "What? I haven't said anything for ages and I was getting bored."

"How do you know about all this?" Fishlegs asked dubiously. Tuffnut leaned closer conspiratorially.

"I stole a book off Trader Johann a couple of years back and it was on the subject," he explained with a wild gleam in his eye. "I've even been practising on myself to hone my skills!" And he reached down and pulled up his tunic. Everyone instinctively cringed-but Hiccup opened his eye a crack and saw a rather wobbly and cartoonish picture of Barf'n'Belch in black across his stomach. It was also upside down. "I mean, I had to borrow some of your Squid Ink to do it," the male twin added proudly. Hiccup frowned.

"So that is where my bottle went...was it last winter?" he asked pointedly. Tuff nodded with cheerful obliviousness.

"Why is it upside down?" Snotlout asked.

"So I could see it as I did the tattoo," Tuff said. "And it's the right way from where I'm looking…"

"That is an awesome picture," Ruff commented and then she scowled. "And I cannot believe you were doing this without telling me! I thought we did everything together!"

"Aww, don't feel bad Butt-Elf," her brother soothed her. "I was just perfecting my skills so I can do you a much bigger and more magnificent tattoo-all across your face!" Ruff tensed and bunched her fists.

"Why you...that...would be AWESOME!" she said, suddenly grinning.

"I mean, you're already hideous so we can probably make you so revolting our enemies will vomit when they see you!" her brother told her.

"And probably us as well," Snotlout grumbled. But Fishlegs stretched out his hand and very gingerly touched Tuff's middle. And then he frowned.

"What do you know-it doesn't rub off!" he commented. "I may need to burn my hand off after touching Tuff though…"

"Hey! But you see? And with the scar, maybe we just need to injure the surface to get it to take up the ink…"

"But all that will do will make my brand even more obvious," Hiccup said with forced patience. Rolling his eyes, Tuff folded his arms and looked at the auburn-haired Viking in disappointment.

"Hiccy, Hiccy-I have much grander plans for you!" he said in a disapproving voice, then he grabbed a charcoal and began to sketch on the floor, drawing the Hunter symbol and then expanding a large and elaborate design. Hiccup inclined his head and frowned.

"Tuff-that design would cover my entire chest and face and I would never be allowed back to Berk!" he pointed out. Tuff deflated.

"Really?"

"Yeah," Heather added, frowning. "That is insane."

"How long would something that large take anyway?" Fishlegs asked.

"About a couple of days," Tuff said and Hiccup scooched back away from him.

"I am not having you poking me for two whole days!" he protested as Toothless growled.

"How does in work?" Ruff asked.

"Well, you have to ensure the ink gets into the skin...so you draw the design and then you jab the outline with needles to get the ink in. Lots and lots of needles." Tuff sounded proud.

"Into my extremely tender and painful scar," Hiccup reminded him. "Look, couldn't we just put a circle round the Hunter Tribe symbol with a diagonal line through it-to show we've cut them off in their purpose." He sketched it on the floor. Tuff scowled.

"It certainly lacks grandeur," the male twin complained. "Are you sure you don't want something with more panache? The Thorston Tattoo Design Studio is in session and I am just bursting with ideas."

"I think that one is just fine," the auburn-haired Viking said firmly.

"I agree," Fishlegs said. "Because I'm getting one as well."

"Me too," Heather added. Snotlout gaped.

"You are actually thinking about letting this pair of utter lunatics near you with inks and needles?" he spluttered. "And you don't think that you'll end up with a wobbly upside down reptile on your nose?" Fishlegs folded his arms.

"We are getting identical tattoos to the one Hiccup gets so no one will suspect his is a brand!" Fishlegs said, staring calmly into Snotlout's eyes.

"WHAT?" the stocky rider exploded. "You gotta be kidding!"

"I'm afraid not," Hiccup confessed. "This is the plan. But I won't force anyone else to do this. Just me." Fish gently grasped his shoulder.

"My friend, you never needed to ask," he assured Hiccup. "We are doing this for you-all of us-because it is the best way to protect you."

"Well, along with not leaving Berk, not letting you out of our sight, never leaving the house without Toothless and getting Astrid back!" Snotlout put in.

"Does that mean you're the only one not getting a tattoo?" Heather asked him pointedly as Windshear hissed.

"This is a crazy idea!" Snotlout protested.

"Coward!" Ruff taunted him.

"No, I am definitely not a coward but have you looked at his tattoo? Really looked? It's terrible!" the stocky rider protested.

"Which is why I will be drafting the design and we'll be doing this back on Berk with Gothi on hand in case anything goes wrong," Hiccup told him. "But I already said you don't have to do this." Looking round, Snotlout sighed.

"I will never hear the end of this if I don't-as long as you and Fishlegs are in charge," Snotlout announced. "Now can we kindly go back to Berk? If I am going to go through unimaginable pain, I at least want my own bed to recover in!"

"I'll need to see that book, Tuff," Hiccup decided as he looked round his friends. He swallowed against the lump in his throat and found himself smiling. "Thanks, guys. I mean it." Heather smiled.

"You never needed to ask," she told him. "Now let's get you home."


	22. Lost

**Twenty Two: Lost**

The return to Berk was swathed by night and it was raining but the solid shape of Stoick the Vast was still pacing up and down the Plaza, ostensibly checking that the village was secure but in reality, waiting for the Riders to return. The night patrol nodded greetings and he acknowledged them absently, peering into the mist as he retreated back into the shelter of the forge.

Gobber looked up from where he was unbending a sword that seemed to have been transformed into a corkscrew and gestured to his friend.

"Tek a seat," he said, his hammer prosthetic steadily flattening the curved sword. "I don't know what that yakbrain Lars does with his weapons but if he can manage to go a week without turning them into scrap, he's doing well." Stoick frowned and quietly lowered his bulky shape onto Gobber's carefully reinforced stool, reaching automatically for the flask of mead that the blacksmith kept in the middle of his tools. He didn't mention he had seen Lars using his sword the previous day to hammer some nails into a fence that he had been knocking down and then repairing all using just his sword.

"Aye-he's not the sharpest weapon in the armoury but he is a good cheesemaker," he commented, sipping Gobber's mead. He grimaced: the man insisted on brewing his own and Gobber's mead could double as metal polish-and probably had, Stoick thought wryly.

"I can tell yer worried but Hiccup's friends will find him," Gobber reassured him.

"Why did he go in the first place?" Stoick asked wearily. "I mean, he is still recovering from being poisoned by that honourless cur, Viggo, and he is safest here."

"He's Hiccup," Gobber smiled. "He overthinks everything. He tends to brood and he always comes to the worst possible conclusion. I mean, I got to know how his mind works pretty well when he was meh apprentice. And whenever he felt he had disappointed you-or you had ignored the boy because he wasnae what yeh thought ye wanted in a son, he took it hard. Can ye imagine what he thinks now, with that brand on his flesh?" Grimly, the Chief nodded.

"I wish he knew that we will face this together," Stoick sighed. "I mean, he is my son and it took me far too long to realise what an amazing young man he is-but I know who he is now and I couldn't be more proud in him. I just want him home…" Gobber peered up and then his eyes twinkled.

"Ye can ask him yerself," he commented as roars echoed through the rain and shapes coalesced, drenched and flying fast, led by the iridescent shape of Skullcrusher who arrowed without hesitation towards the forge, followed by the other dragons. Stoick was up on his feet in an instant, running into the rain to see the dripping shapes of the Riders landing, his eyes fixed only on the black shape of Toothless and the bowed young man on his back. Hiccup was soaked, his auburn hair darkened and plastered to his head and his left shoulder bare and wounded. Stoick stared at him as his son lifted his head.

"Sorry, Dad," he murmured as Stoick lunged forward, wrapping his only child in his arms, swathing him in his warmth and concern.

"I was worried, son," he said gruffly, feeling Hiccup wrap his arms around his father. "I know how sick you have been and that man is still out there. Anything could have happened." Hiccup looked up. "And I know you had Toothless with you-but I still worry. It's an occupational hazard." Leaning against his father and sighing, the young man tightened his grip.

"Sorry, Dad," he repeated. "I-I just had to go. I-I needed some time…" His throat was curiously thick with shame and unfamiliar emotion. "I'm sorry I let you down. I'm sorry I shamed you. I'm sorry I'm not your son, not the Heir you need." He pulled back. "They know." Stoick stared into his ashamed face.

"Son…" he murmured but Hiccup bowed his head.

"They saw…"

"And we have an idea, sir," Fishlegs piped up as Tuff immediately stuck his hand in the air.

"Me! Me! Me!" he said urgently. His sister slapped her hand over his mouth as Fishlegs helped drag the twin back. Stoick frowned.

"But maybe we should get some rest first?" the husky rider offered, reading the Chief's expression.

"Hiccup has nearly died recently," the Chief confirmed, his hand feeling his son tremble. "Let him rest." And then he looked over to Toothless. "Thank you for looking after him, dragon. Now can you make sure he stays put and gets some rest?" Warbling, Toothless bobbed his head as Hiccup stumbled with weariness.

"S'okay, bud," he murmured. "Just a little tired. I'll be better after a nap…" And then he sagged in Stoick's arms as his father caught him.

"Gobber-can you come up to the house as well?" the Chief asked, his eyes concerned. "And fetch Gothi. I want him checked out before I can relax."

"Sir…" Heather began but Stoick shook his head, lifting Hiccup tenderly.

"I nearly lost Hiccup," he sighed. "I have to be sure. I have to try to protect him…" And then he headed up towards the house. Snotlout voiced everyone's opinion.

"Hiccup isn't going to be too happy when he wakes," he said.

oOo

Stormfly's hiss awoke Astrid and instantly, she was alert. Soundlessly, she rolled to a crouch, the axe clamped in her hand, her head forward as she listened for sounds in the velvety cloak of the night. She had been sleeping in her little hut, positioned discreetly back from any vegetation and elevated to ensure clear approaches and unimpeded view of anyone closing.

It hadn't taken long to throw up the hut, for making a home from nothing was a skill that had been developed on Berk over three centuries of war with the dragons. And for the first fifteen years of her life, Astrid had helped rebuild her neighbours' and friends' homes on a weekly basis. Smiling, she had recalled the old saying: Give a Hooligan two planks and a handful of nails and he'll build you a hut in an hour.

But Astrid had focussed on security and safety when she had constructed her new home-knowing in her heart that it would probably only be temporary and that she would end up moving on, as she had already-and her heart ached at the memory of Hiccup when they just arrived on the Edge. And that smile as he had explained his plans for the base on the Edge, when he had carefully but meaningfully placed her hut right next to his-and as far away as possible from Snotlout.

_Astrid-you can build the most heavily fortified bedroom in the Archipelago._

And damn him, his eyes had been twinkling as he had said that, challenging her to construct a small fortress for a hut-which she had. And he had discreetly helped her, with he and Toothless helping her lift the ballista into position. And maybe, even then, he had been hoping one day, they would construct a home together…

There was the slightest crack of a foot on a dry leaf, about ten feet to her left and she lifted a hand to hold the Nadder in position. Eyes open a crack but still feigning sleep, Stormfly tracked the approaching intruder as Astrid frowned. There were two sets of breathing from the other side of the hut...and the rustle of the dry grass behind the hut as at least one more hostile approached. Silently, she pulled her blanket from the bed space and shoved it, her plate and anything else valuable into the pantry she had dug into the cold earth to the side of the single space and covered with a simple board. Now there was only the girl and her dragon at risk and as she paused, she heard a roar and the flash of flames.

They had fired her hut.

But she didn't panic because it wasn't another, hostile dragon-Stormfly would have warned her of that-and ordinary fire was not a problem, She scuttled over to the Nadder, who had risen to her feet and ducked into the protection she offered under her wings and her body, not even considering the door. It would be blocked or surrounded by enemies who would rain steel and death on her as she emerged, choking and disorientated. But they had made a fatal mistake: she didn't care about her hut because it wasn't her home. She wouldn't be fighting to protect the little construction or racing out unprepared. Instead...she would wait.

Curling around her, Stormfly gave a little trill and closed her wings to ensure that Astrid was protected from the inferno that developed. The wood was dry and unseasoned so it had burned fast and hot, smoking due to the sap still in the planks and roaring and popping as it yielded. There was a crash as the light roof fell in and a roar of triumph as the cowardly attackers assumed their triumph. Reaching a hand up to rest lightly against her dragon's chest, Astrid tapped twice and Stormfly's head snapped up. Focussing on the sound of the nearest voice, the dragon locked on and gave a roar-and then fired a single blast of her rock-meltingly hot flame.

There was a scream as the attacker was partially cremated and the burning debris was blasted out of the way-and in that moment, the girl burst through the flames, her axe swinging to take the head of the man next to him, bisecting the half vaporised man as well. She was aware of the shapes of three other men, one more than she had expected, gilded by the flames and they had lost the element of surprise. Stormfly roared and pounced onto the man to the left while Astrid threw herself at the men to the right, ducking under the swipe of a mace and parrying a slice at her side with a single-headed axe. Spinning as she ducked, she snatched a knife from a sheath at her back and hamstrung the man, wheeling away as he bellowed and staggered back, his leg almost buckling. Before the man to his left could move, the axe had swung round again, burying deep in his gut. His urgent scream pierced the night air, above the howls of the man being savaged by Stormfly. Pulling her axe out, the opponent gasped, his guard dropped and Astrid clinically finished him off, before ruthlessly arching her axe down one final time and decapitating the man she had hamstrung.

Stormfly looked up, her opponent no longer moving and gave a small croon. Instantly, Astrid walked to her side, checking the kills before resting her hand on the dragon's surprisingly soft nose.

"Stormfly, my good girl," she murmured, her hand caressing her nose horn. "Thanks." And then she cast a glance at the inferno, the partially collapsed remains that had been her hut. Sighing, she gestured and the dragon batted a blazing wall aside so she could retrieve her belongings and her food and then, once she had bundled them expertly up into her almost-completely packed saddlebag, she looked at the bodies of her attackers. And then she grabbed the nearest one and gestured to Stormfly.

"Girl-can you help me put them in the flames?' she asked, patting him down for any identification or weapons. Efficiently, she and Stormfly tossed the men into the pyre that had been her home and then she stood back. She had kept their weapons and any coins they had on them. The next market she came across, she would exchange the weapons for food and necessities and then she would seek another remote haven. Somehow, Johann's bounty hunters had found her again and she would just have to keep moving.

For a long moment, she closed her eyes, imagining Hiccup's face, his goofy smile and twinkling eyes and wild auburn hair. For a second, she could hear his voice, light and teasing her gently as only he dared and she could feel the warmth of his hand on her waist, pulling her against his body.

No matter how much her heart hurt, she was a danger to anyone around her. Johann would never give up and it was all she could do to keep ahead on him. For now, she had to disappear again...and hope that Hiccup remained safe in the care of his friends, family and dragon.

"Goodbye, my love," she murmured as she mounted Stormfly and they flew off into the night, even as the remains of her hut collapsed over the charred bodies of her would-be assassins.

oOo

When Hiccup woke in his own bed, he was aching and sore, fragments of memories swirling around him before he sat up with a jerk.

"Toothless!" he called and was answered by a reassuring croon as the Night Fury raised his head. "Oh thank Thor," the one-legged Viking sighed and lay back for a moment. He had been wracked by nightmares and very weird dreams, filled with dragon hunters, Tuffnut covered in wobbly tattoos and Snotlout riding a Gronckle of all things. And Astrid, vanishing into the clouds on Stormfly. He had been crying for her, chasing her on Toothless but no matter how fast the Night Fury flew, Stormfly just pulled farther away. He sighed, scrubbing his face with his hands to erase the images that rolled around his memory.

"I know I'm home-and running wasn't the answer," he murmured and slowly sat up. "But I can't stay here forever, bud. We both know that. At the moment, Dad is right-because I am still healing from what Johann and Krogan and Viggo did to me. But as I get stronger, I will go out there again. Because there are other Hunters and other enemies to fight. And Astrid is out there, alone and in danger. So I need to heal, change this brand and get out there to find her."

Toothless gave a small warble and rose, scrambling over to nudge against the lean shape. Smiling, Hiccup hugged the blunt head, closing his eyes.

"Not sure what I'd do without you, bud," he sighed. Toothless rubbed adoringly against him, leaning into the affectionate gesture and Hiccup felt his face stretch in a smile. "Thanks. Now let's go and see Dad…"

Stoick was waiting with a plate of meat broth as Hiccup limped down the stairs, his damaged leather armour in his hand and a fresh dark red tunic over his skinny shape. Thick brows dipping, the Chief frowned for a second before he stood up and forced himself to smile.

"Son!" he said cheerfully. "Come down! Sit! You need some feeding up!" Sliding into the chair, the auburn haired Viking gave a wry smile.

"Still a fishbone," he commented. "And you would know about feeding up, Dad." Stoick rolled his eyes.

"Was that a crack about my weight?" the Chief asked his son, placing the bowl in front of him. Hiccup gulped.

"Maybe…" he mumbled but Stoick sighed.

"Son-I worry about you because you are my son as well as my Heir-and I care about you." He paused. "I love you, son." Hiccup sighed.

"I know, Dad-and I love you too...but I know you must be ashamed because I am branded and can't be your Heir…" The Chief scowled and folded his arms.

"I know why you ran," he explained. "And I hope you found what you were looking for…"

"Well, Astrid wasn't there," Hiccup told him, taking a spoonful of his broth, "but I found there are still Hunters out there. It reminded me that it isn't over, that I can't give in." The Chief took a sip of his watered-down ale and sighed.

"You have to be careful," he reminded his son-but Hiccup shook his head.

"Oh, I know that, Dad," he reminded his father. "But I can't live in fear. And I have my friends. They came up with a way of dealing with the brand." He took a quick breath. "We'll convert it into a tattoo."

Stoick frowned.

"Ye want to look like one of those Heathen Britons?" he growled as Hiccup shook his head and chuckled.

"And you know I said you would say that," he murmured as Toothless made a laughing sounds as well. "Dad-it will not be visible...but of anyone sees where the brand is, it will be covered with the tattoo and will look just like a tattoo, not the mark of a slave." He lifted his chin. "It is my choice."

"Please check with Gothi," Stoick asked him with concern. "I know you have done far crazier things, son-but you have nearly died and aren't recovered yet. I don't want you to start something that could make you worse…" Hiccup sighed.

"Well, I certainly won't let Tuff do it-he can't really draw," he admitted. "I'll be the one in charge of the design. And Fishlegs and Heather will supervise." He paused. "They all want matching tattoos as well, Dad. And I couldn't be prouder or more touched that they would do that for me…" Stoick rose and gently rested his hand on his son's shoulder.

"Aye, yer friends are an odd bunch-but they mean well and would fly to the ends of the world for you," he commented. "As would I…"

"And Astrid...but she has run, to try to protect me," Hiccup said softly. "Dad-I have to deal with the brand so I can safely go out there and find her. I cannot spend the rest of my life without her. I cannot have a world, a life without her…" Giving a gentle squeeze, Stoick nodded.

"Aye-she's a remarkable lass...and the only one who can help you with what you want to do and be who you were born to be," he said. "Eat your breakfast, son, and then we can discuss this with Gothi and see how we can do this safely…" Glancing over at Toothless, who was managing to look smug even as he was eating the basket of fish that Stoick had collected for breakfast, Hiccup smiled.

"Thanks, Dad," he said. "And then once this is sorted...I can go to find Astrid."

oOo

Her latest home had been raided and another few bounty hunters had been consigned to the flames as Astrid found herself in the market on a small island. The village was called Dibbling on the island of Ugly Warts, a place as unappetising as it sounded. The people were almost as tough and tasteless as the Hairy Hooligan Tribe but much less welcoming, suspicious of an outsider from so far away as she walked through the little stalls. The farmers from the surrounding settlements and smaller isles came in once a week or so to sell or trade their wares and quietly, Astrid had sold the weapons from the dead men, keeping a nicely weighted dagger and a bow and had used the money to get soap, bread, jerky and salt.

Sure that she had finished, she walked idy through the remaining stalls and found a bolt of sturdy woollen cloth that could be used to make a skirt and top, something that she could wear when she approached a new village as something other than the fierce Valkyrie she was. Mentally running over her store of money, she bartered hard for the cloth and won her prize at less than she had anticipated and was just heading for the edge of the market and the little path to the cave where Stormfly was hiding when she froze. Voices were echoing from round the forge, from a little shadowed alley that was clearly concealing several people...

"Everybody clear?"

"Yes, Princess Outpost!"

"Snotlout-I've told you before-I don't like being called that."

"And you know I wasn't paying attention!"

"He's just grumpy because he screamed like a girl when he got inked."

"And you know I don't like that saying either! I mean, I never scream!"

"You do, sis. When you're screaming at me that you're going to sell Macey because you've banged your foot on her again!"

"You know Astrid would axe your legs off for suggesting girls scream…"

"Maybe you should change it up to 'screamed like a Snotlout'? That's much more accurate.."

"Shut up Fishface! It's because Gobber was extra rough and my awesome toned body is such a temple that any violation of its sanctity and integrity causes pain which is not just physical but also spiritual…"

"Oh. My. Thor! I didn't know he knew any long words!"

"Heather, Heather-maybe you want to come back to my hut when all of this is over and we can compare vocabularies…"

"Ugh. And he's back…"

"I still can't get over the fact that Gobber of all people is an awesome tattoo artist! I mean, I should go and learn from the master…"

"Tuff-you know Gobber has banned you from coming within fifty paces of the forge since that last incident where you almost blew up the whole forge because you were worried that Macey was getting cold so you put her somewhere warm. And in doing so, you blocked the exhaust of the forge, causing an explosion…"

"But…"

"Mulch and Bucket got hit by bolas and had to go to see Gothi! And the grain storehouse burnt down!"

"Guys-can we get back on point? Astrid could be here. The sightings we've got and intelligence we've gathered all lead in a line in this direction, away from the Edge and Berk. We have to find her. I mean, we've seen people who look seriously like Bounty Hunters here and she's in danger…I mean, she's Astrid and awesome and can handle anything...but I need to find her, I need to talk to her…"

 _And I would love to be with you, Babe-but it's too dangerous_ , Astrid thought as she backed away silently. Her stealth skills had always been far better developed than anyone's except Heather's and she knew she should retreat now before they even knew she was here. _While Johann is focussed on me, he will dismiss you as an invalid and irrelevant. You need to heal...and find a way to deal with him. I can't risk you._

She turned away and her heart fell.

_And how can I ever face you again after what I have done? I have killed without mercy and without hesitation to find what I needed and punish those who hurt you? You are a man who gives people second, third and fourth chances. You forgive and help and nurture while I...destroy. I am no longer worthy of me. You should let me go. I said goodbye. It's safer this way. It's better this way. It's all I deserve…_

And she flipped her hood up and sprinted up the track towards her concealed dragon. By the time Hiccup and the others had searched the market, she was long gone.


	23. Found

**Twenty Three: Found**

_**Two Months Later:** _

The island was so small it barely registered on any maps, just a speck of wet rock, clinging to the southernmost limits of the Archipelago. The trader ship neatly sailed into the meagre harbour and moored as the few isolated inhabitants drifted towards the docks, interested to see what was happening.

"Ah-the lovely island of Back-of-Beyond! A jewel in the Archipelago's crown! I have so missed the chance to visit here these last five years!"

The less familiar shape of Trader 'Bernard' walked forward to greet the curious islanders with his trademark toothy grin, his arms wide in greeting and a twinkle in his eyes. The man-actually Tuffnut wearing a very unconvincing wig and beard-had observed Johann's success and modelled his manner on the older man, because the Riders had agreed that taking a leaf out of 'Traitor' Johann's book and playing the Trader was definitely the best way to slip around the Archipelago unsuspected. And he was loving his role to play and was hamming it up beautifully-with a lot of success.

"So can I tempt you with the exotic and fine wares that I have in my ship?" he continued cheerfully, his beard moving as he spoke, his shape still bent fastening the gangplank and inviting the islanders on board. There was a pause and then a handful of men and women began to walk interestedly onto the ship directed by his fellow trader 'Horace'-Ruffnut in an even worse beard and wig.

Below, their assistant glanced up through the hatch in the hold, his hand resting on his companion's head.

"Is she here, bud?" he asked softly and there was a pause as the dragon sniffed, then gave an affirmative warble. Large green eyes stared up into the familiar face and the young man nodded. "Okay, Toothless." The young man walked to the hatch at the back of the hull, carefully aligned so that it was invisible from the shore and lifted the latch. "Okay-you know the drill," he sighed. "Slip out and swim round the corner then meet me above the town..." The Night Fury nodded and reluctantly slithered through the hatch then vanished with a splash. Sighing, the young man closed and latched the hatch once more.

The villagers were crowded over the deck as he emerged, a floppy green cap concealing his auburn hair, a cloak round his shoulders as he carefully placed the goods he had brought up from the hold onto the pile and then slid lithely through the crowd and down onto the dock. Tuff winked once as he saw his friend head out once more-ostensibly to seek for provisions though the true nature of his quest was more serious.

Hiccup steadfastly walked up the muddy path, grimacing slightly as his prosthetic slid on the mire or got stuck, causing him to stumble. He hissed slightly, feeling the twist against his sensitive stump. The scars from his torture were still red and fresh despite the significant time that had passed since the events and walking was still a real chore but he had tried flying in before and the sight of a dragon in the sky had spooked her and she had escaped. So even though he suffered, he was determined not to alert her this time.

He had trudged round the muddy track out of town when the black shape of Toothless emerged from behind a pile of boulders, giving a little warble of greeting and the one-legged Viking embraced his dragon in relief. Obligingly, the Night Fury half-crouched and waggled his rear, obviously inviting the weary Hiccup to climb aboard. With a sigh, he shook his head.

"Much as I'd love to, bud, I don't wanna risk alerting them," he sighed. "We've been so close so often and she's always seen us coming and escaped." His emerald eyes hardened. "Which is why we didn't fly in today and instead got Traders Tuff and Ruff to bring us. Now we need to find Stormfly before Astrid can suspect anything and go missing again."

Toothless made a grumbling noise, shaking his head but falling into step alongside the limping young man. It hurt Toothless that his human brother was in pain, having to walk rather than ride on the dragon but he was frustrated as well, concerned that the Nadder kept escaping despite the fact that Toothless and Hiccup meant neither fugitive any harm. Toothless was a good tracker, almost the equal of the Nadder and he meant to find her.

They walked for an hour through the mud and the drizzle, silently searching for the pair. Hiccup's stump was agonising but he knew Astrid was somewhere on this island and if he could just find her, just tell him what he had to, then he was sure that she would listen. Eagerly, Toothless accelerated forwards, bounding down the shallow slope that led to a scrubby copse of fir and gorse backing against a pock-marked sandy grey cliff and giving a small barking roar.

There was a scuffle and the sounds of branches and leaves moving before a shape emerged. For a long second, Hiccup was tense, his hands raised to fend off whatever was coming-and then a familiar blue and gold dragon emerged from the brush. She gave a small, happy croak and surged forward as Hiccup's face tilted in a relieved smile.

"Stormfly! Good to see you!" he exclaimed, pressing his hands to her snout before gently stroking her nose. "We've missed you, girl. Toothless has missed you!" The Nadder gave a sad croak, nudging her nose towards Hiccup's lean shape and happily accepted the lavish affection he gave her. Finally, he leaned close to her.

"Where's Astrid?" he breathed. Stormfly gave another unhappy chirp and rubbed against him, her head rising and looking towards the north. He sighed. "Toothless-hold her!" he commanded. "Don't let her leave you-and in that case, Astrid can't run away." Then he quietly limped through the gorse before pulling his brown patched cloak and hood up against the insistent drizzle. Now he looked, there was a narrow track leading through the scrub grass, winding away to the north. Groaning at the rolling way, Hiccup painfully limped along the track and sweated his way up the low but persistent slope-until he finally topped the rise and saw a small hollow spread beneath him-including a small wooden shack.

He paused, breathing hard and staring down the slope. The wooden hut was small and looked fairly sturdy, with new timbers hammered to patch up weathered walls. The roof was newly shingled and a curl of smoke rose from the chimney hole. But there was the sound of chopping from beside the house and he cautiously began to walk down the little rise towards the small home. There was a wood store and lean-to that had a couple of birds and fish hanging and as he approached, he saw her, pausing to carefully inspect her as she worked.

She wasn't as he recalled, sheathed in a poor grey cloth dress, the long skirt with muddy hem brushing the rocky ground, sleeves rolled up to her elbows, revealing her bindings as she wielded her axe with the accuracy and skill that she had earned over the years. Her sun bright hair was braided in a functional thick braid straight down her back, her face red with effort. Taking a small breath, Hiccup resumed his trudge down the slope and he almost made it within a handful of yards of the hovel when she spun, her axe suddenly held with lethal intent, levelled at him.

"Don't take another step, stranger," she growled, her azure eyes locked on the cloaked and hooded shape. "Just turn around and leave.'

"I can't do that," Hiccup said gruffly. "I've been looking for you."

Astrid took a step closer, eyes narrowed and beautiful face locked into a scowl as she levelled the axe at him.

"Do you know who I am?" she breathed. "Have you heard what I've done?" Hiccup shoved the hood back and his emerald eyes met hers, a small smile lifting his pale, lightly freckled face.

"Yes, I do," he smiled. "Hello, Astrid," he added. Her eyes widened and she backed away.

"No..." she breathed. "Stormfly! STORMFLY!" The young Viking walked towards her, his limping gait catching her attention and she raised her axe.

"Astrid-she won't come," he said firmly. "I asked Toothless to watch her-and prevent her taking you away." She backed away, shaking her head.

"No..."

"Astrid," Hiccup said calmly. "We need to talk."

"There's nothing to stay," she said stubbornly. "I made my choice..."

"You didn't make mine," he told her and lunged forward, his hand tightening around her wrist to stop her getting away. Hiccup was much stronger than his skinny shape suggested-from hanging onto Toothless at insane speeds and years of smithing before that-and she pulled back fiercely, feeling him resist her.

"Let me go!" she snapped as she tugged harder.

"Make me, Astrid," he said levelly. "Look-you're my best friend-best human friend, my Betrothed-and I need you. I don't know why you ran and never returned." His emerald eyes darkened with hurt and worry. "I missed you. I needed you." She looked away, suddenly ceasing pulling. "I love you." She stared at the ground for a long moment and then she sighed.

"I had to go-because they couldn't be allowed to get away with hurting you," she said quietly. "Hiccup-they tortured you so badly-and you're such a brave ass that you took it. You always give yourself up for us. You never let anyone step into danger if you can instead..."

"...which is my job as leader," he reminded her reasonably. Her eyes snapped up to glare at him then.

"Hiccup-you nearly died!" she yelled at him. "We had to rescue you. And I had to see you so terribly hurt. My heart broke when I realised what they had done to you, Hiccup. And then to find out they had poisoned you as well…they never meant to let you go, despite their vow. They lied and meant for you to _die_ and for us to watch, helpless. And when we passed the time when the antidote would work, I knew I couldn't just sit there and watch you perish to such agony. My heart was broken. And I knew...I knew they would never stop. They had come after you again and again...and you had been an idiot again and again. I believed it had cost you your life. So I did the only thing I could do: I took the fight back to them. I made them pay for your death."

His eyes darkened and his brows dipped. He was a man who tried to avoid killing, though he had killed in the past, but only in the direst extremes. But he knew that Astrid was a warrior, trained from early childhood and far more aggressive and ferocious than he was. She was always the one who had military tactics, defensive positions and weapons at the front of her mind, though she had learned to temper her anger during her time in the Riders.

"Astrid," he said gently. "You should have waited. I was fighting with everything I could to get back to you. You were what I had to live for." The faint accusation was there, that he had woken and found her gone. And when she had run from him even after he had survived. Absently, his thumb gently rubbed over the back of her hand. "I was coming back to you. And when I recovered…we could have stopped them together..." She shook her head.

"Hiccup-not even mentioning that you were dying and even Gothi had said it was hopeless, that I believed I had lost you-you would have stopped me doing what I had to," she said heavily. "These people are ruthless and vicious. They have no regard for life. And you do. You are kind and generous and brave and you always give people the chance. I don't because I see the grey and darkness in their souls. I know if you turn your back on them, they will put a knife in it. I know if you let them live, they will come again. And I know their word is worthless."

"And you think running from me is the answer?" he asked her, his voice dropping. She shook her head.

"I-I couldn't face you...because the hurt in your eyes, the disappointment will break my heart..." she admitted, looking away. "And those who remain are after me and have sent a host of killers. They will always be after me. So you are in danger if I am near you."

"Astrid-I'm always in danger," he reminded her dryly. "And I'll be in more danger if I have to keep chasing to the ends of the Archipelago to find you."

"Then let me go," she sighed, defeated. "I would have thought you'd get the message in the fact that I run every time I see the slightest sign of you or any of the other riders? That I said goodbye. That I…that I brought back your Betrothal gift…because I knew I don't deserve you any more…"

"Hey-I'm Hiccup," he reminded her wryly. "A knuckleheaded fishbone son of a Viking Chief. I have stubbornness issues." She shook her head.

"And I am a disgrace to the Tribe and to you," she told him defeatedly. "You know I can't remain. It's best if you just let me go and forget me." His eyes widened in horror.

"I can't, Astrid," he told her urgently, his grip on her wrist tightening. "I can't imagine a world without you in."

"Then don't," she told him simply. "I'm in it-just somewhere else. I'm no longer worthy of your friendship." He pulled her closer.

"Astrid-I need you," he told her gently. "How-how can I control the Riders without you? Who will keep the twins in order...?" She stared at him, disappointed.

"Really? Is that where you're going?' she asked sharply and he shook his head.

"No," he said despondently. "No, I'm a mutton-head. I-I need you...because I love you. With every fibre of my being, every beat of my heart, every breath I take…I love you and need you and want you. I only survived because I wanted to stay with you. In my fever dream, I was chasing to be with you-because that was all I ever thought of. And I will never stop chasing you, to the ends of the world. I will never accept my life without you in it."

She stared, eyes wide and then she shook her head.

"You can't..." she breathed. "I am a pariah, an outcast, a..."

"Ferocious, beautiful, brave Valkyrie," Hiccup told her, lifting his other hand to rest against her cheek. "The woman I have loved since I was ten. Astrid-I will never give up on you. I can't-because you are my life, my heart, the air that I breathe. The only love of my life. And-and I know I'm too stupid and cowardly to say anything because I was afraid that you would just laugh at me...but I have to now because otherwise, I will lose you." He was staring deep into her eyes, reading her uncertainty, her horrible shame and his fingers gently stroked her cold cheeks, leaning closer. "No matter what, whatever you want it to mean, there should always be a Hiccup and Astrid," he reminded her.

She stared into his eyes and then she looked away, tears shining in her beautiful gaze.

"I killed them all," she whispered. "Viggo, Krogan…the Hunters…" She looked up. "But I missed Johann." Hiccup blinked.

"Trader Johann?" he asked in a resigned voice and she nodded. "Dad mentioned you warned him about Johann-but he couldn't give me any details. I mean…it sounds insane…but I did believe him. I have warned the others not to trust him...though I'm not sure if they believed me…I mean...he's Johann..."

"He's working with Viggo and Krogan," she revealed softly. "In fact, he was the one giving orders…" Hiccup shook his head head, frowning.

"Sorry-this is Johann we're talking about?" he checked. "Not that I doubt you at all, Milady. No siree. But…the man who could talk a Gronckle to death? The man with the most implausible tales this side of...ever? The man who got marooned by the Smothering Smokebreaths and then by Snot and the twins? That Johann? In charge of Viggo? I mean…he never showed anything like that whenever we've seen him…" She stared into his eyes and nodded.

"This is why I'm hiding," she explained softly. "He can be anywhere-and I have no idea who I can trust. Everyone believes jovial, friendly Johann-and no one will credit that he is behind…everything…" His emerald eyes narrowed and she feared for a moment that he would disbelieve her…but he gave a slow, dispirited nod.

"In fact…it makes perfect sense when you put it like that," he realised slowly. "The Terrible Terror that got most of us off Dragon's Edge just when the Hunters attacked. The tip off that stranded me in the market. When he sent Heather and I after Dagur, he assured us he would be alone…but he had a full armada with him. And his ship was conveniently on Outcast Island just as Dagur escaped." Astrid nodded.

"No one suspects him-because he's Trader Johann-a bit of a joke, always full of tall tales, servile and self-effacing…everyone's friend…" Her voice darkened. "And no one's." Both of them started as a reddish brown Terrible Terror squawked and soared out of the drizzle, colliding with Hiccup. He almost stumbled but Astrid quickly steadied him, her hand warm on his waist. He cast her a thankful look, his skin tingling with the brief contact as he calmed Iggy with a practiced movement and untied the letter from his leg. The dragon chirruped and flapped up to sit on Astrid's roof. Emerald eyes scanned the letter as Hiccup's brows dipped as he looked up, worried, to stare into her eyes.

"Heather, Fishlegs and Snotlout are with him," he said quietly.

"What?"

"Well, I couldn't fly in because you kept running away," he pointed out dryly, "so I devised a way to search for you using fake 'traders'. I was so keen to find you that Tuff borrowed Mulch's ship and the twins pretended to be Traders…taking Toothless and I with them. The others were supposed to scout out nearby islands. This is from Fishlegs to say they had met Johann on Craggy Island and he had said he had seen you. So Snot agreed for them to travel with him."

Astrid exhaled shakily.

"Did no one listen to my warning?" she grumbled.

"My father made a point to warn me and I warned everyone," he assured her. "But this is my cousin we're talking about. He's the definition of mutton-head. And lazy. If someone told him he had your address, he would fly there without even thinking because it was easy!" Astrid rolled her eyes, looking exasperated.

"Johann is dangerous," she said firmly. "He was using Viggo and the DragonEye and the lenses-because he is looking for something called 'the King of Dragons'. He believes he will control all dragons through some sort of mind control…and that will enable him to rule and become the richest man on Midgard." She sighed. "He killed real Traders to get his tales and his ship to start with."

Hiccup's eyes widened and he recalled that four Traders-Trader Derek, Trader Finnbar, Trader Cedric and the real Trader Bernard-had gone down when the Submaripper was used to blockade Berk…but Johann had escaped.

"Thanks for getting the DragonEye to me," he said softly. "At least I know it's safe and he can't use it…" And then he sighed. "But they're in danger," he murmured and glanced over his shoulder at Toothless. "I've put them in danger…I should have known Johann would be looking out for us...to lead him to you. Thor…" Her hand found his and her fingers curled gently around his, feeling him automatically grasp back. A hand rested on his suddenly slumped shoulder and she gently lifted his chin.

"Hiccup-this wasn't your fault," she assured him gently. "You weren't to know that Snotlout and Fishlegs would be so stupid." And then she swallowed. "Though it's not the biggest surprise, to be honest. And I guess Heather would trust Johann because he was her contact for so long. But in the end, it's my fault-because I should have killed him-or come home and faced my fate." He took a sighing breath and leaned closer.

"My father doesn't blame you at all," he murmured. "He is proud of what you have done. You have done what he could not…because he had to remain on Berk. You avenged the attack on his son…and as my Betrothed, it was your right as well." She met his gaze boldly now.

"I'm sorry," she said quietly. "I let you down. You needed me with you as you fought for your life-but I had to go. It broke my heart to see you so hurt and dying."

"I needed you," he reminded her and leaned close, his lips ghosting her cheek. "Because I love you. And I don't want to go on without you. I came back and clung on because I wanted to see you again. And I will chase you to the ends of this Realm to find you." He leaned forward and his lips tenderly met hers, feeling her almost pull away-and then surrender, melting into the kiss. His hand slid into her hair and held her close.

"I'm sorry…" she murmured as he leaned his forehead against hers.

"Milady, I will never give up on you," he breathed. "If you run, I will chase you for the rest of my life. You are my heart…" His hand rose and he pulled back briefly, gently putting the pendant, his Betrothal gift, back around her neck. Then he pulled her close into another searing kiss.

There were tears in her eyes when he pulled back and she managed a small smile.

"I'm not running again," she said. "Our friends are in danger and we have one last enemy to take on." His hand gently tightened on her shoulder as he stared into her eyes.

"Please…don't kill him unless I give the order," he said softly and she nodded, a small smile tugging at her lips, the cold fury tempered by the warmth of his presence, his love coursing through her. Alone, all had been cold and hard and danger but here, with Hiccup, there was suddenly hope. It felt as if she was home, as if part of her had been restored.

"Whatever you want, Babe," she said and then she sighed. "But he is ruthless, cold and cruel. Don't let him know you suspect…but don't lower your guard. He carries knives in his sleeves and is deadly accurate…" She instinctively touched her side and his eyes widened.

"He got you?" he asked worriedly but she smiled wanly.

"I'm good now, Babe," she reassured him as he slid his arm around her shoulders.

"Anything you want to bring?" he asked. "I have Tuff and Ruff in a ship waiting in the village." She smirked.

"My pack, my axe and Stormfly," she told him and he smiled. "And then we can fly back to the others…together…"

"If you run…" he warned her, wincing as he shifted on his painful stump and her arm tightened around his waist.

"Babe-I'm not going anywhere-not any more," she promised. "I'm back with you-where I should be-and we have a traitor catch…and our friends to save…" Toothless gave a roar and there was the answering screech from Stormfly as she swooped in and landed by her Rider. Hiccup grinned.

"Okay, my ferocious Valkyrie-let's find that traitor."


	24. The Trader's Trap

**Twenty Four: The Trader's Trap**

The weather had deteriorated and there was a fog of torrential rain surrounding the miserable jagged shape of Nameless Isle, a well-known navigational hazard not that far from the Edge. It was also a frequent stopping-off point for Hunters and an infrequent base of operations. A familiar ship across the Archipelago was moored in a sea-cave that led directly up into a complex and extensive cave system that permeated the granite mountain that formed the bulk of the island.

Johann strode through the main corridor, nodding to the couple of men who had headed here as ordered once he had been aware if the possibility that his organisation would be completely destroyed by the renegade Dragon Rider. And while he had been recruiting a few more men, he had been more invested in locating the remaining DragonEye lenses to enable him to locate the King of Dragons and achieve his goal in dominating the entire Archipelago-and beyond.

In fact, Astrid had done him a favour, for Krogan, the servant of a man that Johann knew as Drago Bludvist, a vicious warlord and madman, would have tried to take the King of Dragons for his master. Johann wouldn't have tolerated this but the resulting conflict could have been difficult and while the Fliers were under his control. Krogan had posed a danger. The actions of Astrid Hofferson had removed that problem, defeating a man that Johann hadn't yet formulated a plan to dispose of and removing the threat.

Lengthening his stride, Johann clasped his hands behind his back, dark eyes flicking at the guards but not bothering to acknowledge their stiff attention. He would have responded if they had been sloppy but his men had learned that getting no reaction from heir leader was a good thing. Killing the odd straggler or incompetent always improved the quality of the men and their concentration, Johann had found. Shaking his head, he rounded the corner and swiftly made his way up the winding passage into the large cavern that he had adopted as his main atrium-and the cages within.

He paused, his lips lifting in a cruel smile as he inspected the unconscious shapes within. Three humans and three dragons, all subdued by a combination of subterfuge, Johann's brilliance and a generous pinch of stupidity on the part of the Riders. Looking down on the shape of the female, Johann nodded and the guard opened the cage, lifting the limp, raven-haired shape and removing her from the cage.

"Take her to my quarters," Johann ordered, casting a scornful glance at the other prisoners. "I'll wake her up there. We do need to be ready when Master Hiccup arrives." His cold voice mangled the name, sarcastically mimicking the servile tone he had used for so long when dealing with the Hooligan Heir. "After all, that boy must have run out of lives now-and he will trade himself for these imbeciles. His cousin, his best friend-and the girl he thinks of almost as a sister. And if he needed more encouragement…well, Heather is expendable. They all are." His voice hardened as the door of the cage clanged shut.

"I will have those lenses and 'Master Hiccup's' head-and then there will be nothing left to stop me!"

oOo

Snotlout Jorgensen hadn't really had that many bad awakenings because somehow, it was never him that tended to get himself captured or imprisoned. That was really his cousin's thing! Sure, he had been struck by lightning more times than he could count (really-he actually had lost track…though it was five or six last time he could recall) and Hookfang was definitely the naughtiest dragon in the Archipelago so he had been set on fire _plenty_ of times but generally he had came through the Dragon Riders' adventures pretty intact.

But he had awoken with a stiff neck, the imprint of a bar on his beautiful face and a headache and when he sat up, he had been surprised to find himself alone in a cage, with a line of cages stretching away to his left and right containing what looked like the rest of the Party. If he craned his neck, he could see the orange and brown bulk of Hookfang three cages down and a tightness of worry that he had realised was there eased in his chest a little. Though he wouldn't admit it to anyone-least of all his father-he loved Hookfang and would do anything to ensure that his dragon was safe and though he hated that Hookie was captured as well, at least he knew where his dragon was and that meant he had one person he could totally rely on when they bust out of the cages and paid back that Johann.

In truth, Snotlout hadn't really believed Hiccup when he told them not to trust Johann. It was Johann, right? Bumbling, garrulous, rather cowardly and stupid Johann, who had been coming round for ever with his ship of interesting and useful goods. And no one _really_ trusted him-he was a blabbermouth of the highest order and couldn't keep a secret or confidence to save his life-but he had helped the Riders on numerous occasions and had really been a useful ally against the Hunters. Heather had trusted him as her only contact when she was waging her lone battle against Dagur and his men before she found out that Dagur was in fact her long-lost brother. Fishlegs had tried to warn them that if Hiccup said to be wary, they should…but Snotlout had overruled him because he was cold and tired and very hungry. Johann was just someone to watch your mouth around. And he had food.

Heather had backed him up because she was confident that she knew how to handle Johann and because, when all was said and done, there were three of them with their dragons and just Johann, alone on his boat. So they had left the dragons on the deck while they had gone down to the hold, where Johann had made them welcome. And the ale, mead and fish stew had been very generous and flavoursome. Admittedly, Snotlout had probably eaten more than his share but after the endless search for Astrid, he had been grateful for someone else's cooking. And though Heather was an excellent cook, he knew she was grateful for the respite as well.

And then Johann had gone up to the cold store he kept on the deck for the dessert and replete and relaxed, Snotlout had lowered his guard. And that was when the flasks had been thrown down into the hold, the purple gas billowing around the three Dragon Riders who had totally lowered their guard. A nagging memory had hit Snotlout straight between the eyes, of Hiccup and Toothless, trapped behind a wall of bars in a Hunter trap, his little cousin dropping to his knees as the same purple gas billowed around him, rending the indomitable Hiccup unconscious. And even as he realised what was happening, Snotlout felt his eyes weighed down with exhaustion. He saw Fishlegs slump back and fall of his stool and Heather rise, cursing and reaching for her double-headed axe…only to realise that Johann had spirited it away as he had bustled up to close his trap…

Scrubbing his face, Snotlout had mentally slapped himself. Muttonhead! Damnation but he had really earned the label today! Hiccup had warned him and because he had been cold and hungry and…well, lazy…they were now all captives of Johann who clearly was far more dangerous than even Hiccup had guessed. So Snotlout got to his feet and stretched, muttering a curse as he banged his head on the top of the cage. He was the shortest Rider and even he could only stand at a stoop-hardly encouraging. Then he looked down the line.

"Fishlegs? Heather? Guys? Wake up!"

"Mmm?"

"Fishface-get your butt up and talk to me!" Snotlout snapped.

"Whu…?"

"We're prisoners. Of Johann! Oh Thor, the twins will NEVER let me forget this. We have to get out of here!"

"Snotlout?"

"Yeah, it's me, Fishy! Now open your eyes and tell me what you can see?"

"The floor."

"Why?"

"Because I'm lying on my face…"

"Oh my Thor! I'm supposed to be the muttonhead. Get UP, Fishlegs Justin Ingerman! We need you! I need you! The dragons need you! Thor-Hiccup needs you!"

"You need me, Snotlout? I thought 'I didn't know what I was talking about?' I mean 'how exactly could Johann be a threat to anyone?' Maybe you should listen to me now!"

"This is no time to be saying 'I told you so!', Fishface! Tell me what you see!"

There was a pause and Snotlout could hear the creak of a heavy body getting up, the groan and crack as his friend stretched and then there was a deep inhalation of breath.

"Okay-I can see Windshear and Hookfang," Fishlegs reported in a more normal tone. Snotlout sighed.

"Hookie is a couple of cages down from me so you must be beyond him," Snotlout replied, feeling a little more relaxed. "Meatlug is two cages down from me." He paused. "And she still sleeping…and farting, by the way…"

"Well, I try to keep her off the dolomites but she just loves them as a treat and they do have an unfortunate effect on her…"

"And you know I don't care," Snotlout snarked back automatically. "Can you see Heather?"

"N-no…isn't she by you?"

"Nope," Snotlout said, trying to keep the concern from his voice. "Look, I have Meatlug and then a bunch of empty cages. You?"

"I can just see Windshear and Hookfang…and then a row of empty cages as well…" Fishlegs said, his voice now definitely edged with panic. Sighing, Snotlout knew he had to calm his friend-something that really wasn't his strong suit. Somehow, Fishlegs, a fat guy who insisted on being called husky and who was geeky, timid and rather ordinary looking, had a relationship going with Heather who was total total _total_ babe. And who had made her feelings-or lack thereof-very plain to Snotlout.

"Look, she'll be around here somewhere," Snotlout reassured him. "We both know she's smart and tough: maybe she's already gotten away…"

"Or maybe Johann has her?" Fishlegs definitely sounded panicked.

"Fish-no one goes to the trouble to capture us and our dragons just to kill us," Snotlout told him with sudden insight. "We're bait in a trap…for Hiccup. Johann got you to tell him where we were and you sent Iggy off before you sat down for dinner…so Hiccup will already have guessed that we're prisoners and will be on the way…"

"Oh Thor…"

"I'm not really sure what you're 'oh Thor'ing about but I agree with all of them," Snotlout sighed and managed to find a tiny pebble. Idly he tossed it at Hookfang, who swatted it away with his tail. "Hookie! I know you're awake!" The Monstrous Nightmare gave a grumble and cracked an eye open but it was obvious to Snotlout than his dragon was still drugged. "Fish…what can drug all the dragons including Meatlug? It can't be dragon root because she's immune…"

"Um…I'll have a think about that," Fishlegs said. "Is Meatlug okay?"

"Still snoring," Snotlout confirmed and sat down. "And think quicker. We need to get out of here and fast-before we accidentally help Johann kill Hiccup."

oOo

Heather regained her senses and realised instantly that she was tied up. Mentally cursing at her own stupidly- _why had she listened to Snotlout, of all people?_ -she carefully remained motionless, imperceptibly tensing her limbs one by one to test her bonds. And then she listened, hearing the vague echo of steps from beyond the room she was in and the distant roar of a dragon. But the air was cool and slightly clammy, like air in a cave. There was no fresh air and she could smell the scents of torches, of damp and unwashed men and the expensive perfume that must have hailed from a far distant land…

"I know you're awake, my dear," Johann said in a voice that was no Johann. Firm, cold and rather snide, it was like the evil mirror twin of the servile, rather cartoonish man they all knew and sort of trusted. Blinking, she lifted her head and focussed her green gaze on the man who had comprehensively fooled them. Johann looked the same, with his puffy sleeves and floppy cap and curled, trimmed beard but the expression on his face and his cold, merciless eyes told her she was speaking to the real Johann, not the Trader persona.

"Johann," she murmured. The man sipped a clear golden-brown liquid from an ornate gold goblet, inlaid with gems and gave a satisfied smile.

"Brandy is an expensive spirit brewed in a land south of Britain that really rewards the educated palate," he told her, rolling the goblet in his hand. "Of course you and your heathen kind would just neck the lot and demand more, rather than appreciating the complexity of the aroma and the warmth of the flavour."

"I presume that was a rhetorical statement," Heather said, licking her lips and scanning the room for anything that could be of use. Johann nodded.

"You and Hiccup are probably the only Riders who would use that word," Johann said disparagingly. "The rest of them would even comprehend it-even Fishlegs, who seems to possess an impressive knowledge base, was rather easily fooled by my 'Trader Johann' act."

"They would surprise you," Heather commented dryly. Johann drained his goblet.

"I doubt it," he said shortly.

"So why are we here?" Heather asked him directly, her tone angry, causing the Traitor to smile.

"It is obvious that I brought you here to ensure your 'Master Hiccup' comes exactly where I want him," he told the young woman. "You are the bait in the trap." Green eyes narrowing in anger, she inspected him angrily.

"Hiccup knows it's a trap," she told him sharply.

"And yet-he'll still come," Johann sneered. "For a young man of undoubted intelligence, innovation and tactical astuteness, he is extraordinarily predictable. He really should learn to accept losses as part of war."

"Hiccup fights for what he believes in and will never accept abandoning his friends!" she replied. Johann folded his arms.

"I'm not about to reveal my stratagem to you, my dear," he told her sternly "After all, what fool tells the enemy his plans, only for him to then escape and thwart them?"

"Pretty much everyone else we fight against," Heather told him.

"Proof, if any were needed, that such a policy is not a wise one," Johann sneered. Heather raised an eyebrow.

"You know you're going to lose?" she taunted him but he shook his head.

"You labour under the delusion that I am still the 'umble Trader Johann…" he scoffed, resuming his usual servile tone for the last three words. "But I am in, in fact, a man with no morals or boundaries. A man who will do anything that I feel is required to advance my own purpose. I will not hesitate to kill while Hiccup is a man who seems to fear his Viking heritage and is astonishingly unwilling to shed blood."

"It takes more courage to spare a life than to take one," Heather retorted.

"Well, I have to say young Master Hiccup doesn't lack courage-or stubbornness-merely sense," Johann conceded. "I have seen grown men, seasoned warriors, crumble and beg to spill their guts and secrets after a fraction of the torture Hiccup endured." Heather's lips pressed together and her fists clenched in fury.

"You were there?" she hissed as Johann idly picked up a dagger.

"Certainly," he confirmed, his eyes focussed on the edge of the blade. The torchlight gleamed on the wickedly-sharp metal. "I participated, in fact. And I almost gave myself away when Krogan branded him. Oh, that was such a sweet moment. Seeing that self-righteous young paladin reduced to less than nothing!" And then his cold eyes locked on Heather. "Did you know he's a slave?"

She gave a small smile.

"He's a free man," she told him smugly. "The Tribe who he was marked by no longer exists. And he no longer has a brand…" Johann scratched his beard thoughtfully.

"I must make sure that word gets out of young Master Hiccup's shame," he mused cruelly, gauging her reactions. "That self-righteous young fool will no longer be able to run out and try to impede business if he can be taken by anyone the moment he leaves Berk…"

"He has no brand," Heather insisted. Johann twirled the blade in his hands.

"That is something I can remedy," he said coldly. "And this time, it will be on his face! I'll see him whipped in chains before I'm done!"

"You forget," Heather told him loyally. "He's not alone."

"I can deal with dragons," he scoffed.

"He has friends. Allies. They will come for him. They will always come for him!" Heather spat back. And then the blade flashed and slammed down into her left thigh. Her scream echoed through the room and down the corridor, drawing an answering roar from Windshear.

"Is that what happened when he was poisoned with a venom that has no antidote?" Johann growled, grabbing Heather's hair and dragging her head up, staring into the white, pain-filled face. "His friends performed the impossible?" But Heather gave a grim smile.

"No-his friends performed what he would expect them to-because it was what he would have done for them," she managed. "Astrid performed the impossible and destroyed his enemies." Johann wheeled away.

"WRONG!" he roared. "She missed me!"

"And you missed her," she gasped. "And she will know you are after Hiccup. She'll be coming."

"You are wrong, my dear," he told her scornfully. "My mercenaries have missed her numerous times. You haven't been able to find her. She is now so far away that even my intelligence can't locate her. She may hear…but it will be far too late. Because one thing is for certain: if Hiccup comes here, he will die!"

oOo

Glancing over at the Nadder flying to his right, Hiccup felt a deep sense of relief that he hadn't realised he was missing. Astrid was seated low over Stormfly's neck, changed into her black-stained leather skirt with the black top and hood on, looking like the Dark version of a Valkyrie that she had become. The twins were flying along behind then on Barf'n'Belch, who had been napping under a tarpaulin in the hold of the ship. His eyes lingered on the knives hanging from her slender waist, the familiar axe slung across her back and the quivers of arrows and bow hanging from her saddle.

"Are you okay?" he called over as she frowned, her eyes focussed on the horizon.

"Johann will be expecting you," she said thoughtfully. "He will know that you know he is the enemy-and that he has your friends. You are pretty predictable, Babe."

"Maybe not any more," Hiccup said quietly. "I mean, if I give myself up, he'll kill me and won't release them anyway. Or their dragons…" Astrid sighed.

"You say that now but given the choice…you're Hiccup…" she commented as she drifted closer. "And I know you. You've risked yourself to find me when you should be safer on Berk. You walked for miles from the Port just to stop me being warned of your presence. And I bet you've brought the DragonEye with you!"

His eyes widened at her tone and he looked surprised.

"Well, you're wrong about the Dragon Eye!" he told her and then his face fell. "I brought the DragonEye 2."

"Hiccup, you muttonhead!" she growled. "He's after the DragonEye and the lenses to enable him to control all dragons!" He sighed.

"Astrid-I needed the DragonEye to make sure there wasn't something dangerous where I was asking my friends to go," he explained quietly. "And yes, I know that isn't quite how the old Hiccup would have done it-but the old Hiccup hadn't almost died and hadn't lost his sight and voice and still has to concentrate to grip things properly…"

Her expression softened and she drifted Stormfly closer and angled her flight, extending her hand to brush her fingers against his.

"Oh, Babe," she murmured. But he managed a brave smile, his emerald gaze filled with self-deprecation.

"No, you're right," he conceded, his tone soft. "And I know I'm not the man you agreed to be Betrothed to…" But her fingers brushed his again and her eyes fixed on his face.

"Actually-you're exactly the man I Betrothed-the same stubborn knucklehead who refuses to listen to advice and do as he's told when there is someone he cares for needing him," she told him. "Hiccup-I ran because you would be in danger with me around…but you have managed to track me down, Thor only knows how. And our friends need us."

"Don't they always?" he asked, a small smile lifting his lips.

"Maybe-but Johann has no idea that I am with you-and I can be your secret weapon," she suggested her brow furrowed. "Where were they when they ran into him?"

"By the Four Splats…Thor, why did I ever allow Tuff to name anything on my map?" Hiccup muttered. Frowning, Astrid mentally reviewed her map of the Archipelago and beyond.

"Well, the nearest Hunter Base to there is Nameless Isle," she mused. "The others are all a good day's sail from there and most are unusable anyway…" Hiccup stared at her and she shrugged. "I have spoken to a lot of Hunters and I know where all the bases are, all the supply depots and every friendly port and contact. Nameless Isle is supposed to be a secret. But Johann will know."

Hiccup stared ahead, resting his hand on Toothless's head.

"You want to kill him," he said quietly.

"It's the only way," she told him softly. "He was there, you know. He helped them torture you. He watched you suffer. He gave the orders. And he has sent a host of Bounty Hunters after me."

"Dad was going to be called Stoick the Vindictive…well, that was before his waistline expanded to the Hooligan norm and he ended with the less scary moniker Stoick the Vast," he said. "He knows about vengeance…and he told me once that while a pinch of vengeance really hits the spot, it never ends there. Those you take your vengeance on want vengeance back on you and round it goes in an unending cycle…"

"It will end when I kill Johann," Astrid told him simply.

"But it won't," Hiccup told her softly. "Because a Dragon Rider used dragons to exterminate a Tribe and kill Gods only know how many people. And that will have repercussions for all of us."

"Then you should distance yourself from me," she told him automatically, though her voice wavered-the first crack he had seen in her facade. "You should let me go. I told you I wasn't worthy, Hiccup…" Toothless drifted alongside and just below and he reached up and grasped her hand, pulling her to sit astride Toothless, facing him. She automatically reached back to grasp the saddle edge as he wrapped one arm around her waist to pull her close to him.

"My love-I am never letting you go," he told her with absolute certainty. "And whatever fallout happens, we face it together. You did what you did for me because I could well have died. You were convinced that I had died. And you were determined that the men who used me so badly wouldn't live to profit from their actions."

"And instead, I caused far worse harm…" she sighed, leaning against him and resting her head on his shoulder. He inclined his head and brushed his lips against her cheek.

"You were a Viking warrior, taking the fight to our honourless enemies," he reminded her, feeling her breath against his neck. "You were my Betrothed… _are_ my Betrothed…and the right was yours. And while I don't like your methods…Johann is the only one left. And he is the worst of them all."

"Hiccup-you are our leader and I am not trying to take your place," she assured him. "But as your second, I could always offer suggestions…"

"Then suggest away, second-in-command," he murmured as she lifted her head and stared deep into his eyes, an arm wrapping around his waist. He exhaled but she was smiling.

"I have a plan," she said.


	25. A Simple Trade

**Twenty Five: A Simple Trade**

_It always looked so simple when Hiccup did it._ Fishlegs rolled his eyes in exasperation as his latest attempt to pick the lock of his cell ended in failure. The problem was that he wasn't terrible dexterous, for all his amazing dragon knowledge and sensitivity. Hiccup had tried to teach them, of course, because somehow, they always seemed to be getting captured by some bad guy or other and they all, without hesitation, locked them up in cells or cages with locks that Hiccup considered pretty basic. Of course, in addition to all his other talents-well, he was smart, handsome, sassy, generous, kind, forgiving and a great leader-Hiccup was also a blacksmith and mechanic and he had invented some locks and mechanisms that were far more complex. Fishlegs blinked. He had retroengineered a DragonEye, for Thor's sake. While he, Fishlegs, couldn't even get his chubby fingers to pick a simple lock!

He sat back and rolled the little lock pick that Hiccup had made him between his fingers. In had become a joke that when anyone referenced his weight, he protested he was husky. But he wasn't. He was fat, chubby, chunky, overfed, a proper Hooligan…call it what you would. He wasn't a fishbone, wasn't a lithe lean shape like his friends Astrid and Ruffnut and Tuffnut and, of course, Hiccup. Of course, Fishlegs had been as much a runt as Hiccup had when he was much younger but he had grown up (and out) at a much younger age and when the others had really set about bullying Hiccup, Fishlegs had joined in, for fear they would see through him and start on him instead.

But Hiccup had forgiven him, for he had apologised again-this time when Hiccup was very much awake, his emerald gaze thoughtful and understanding as the husky Rider had stumbled and dithered over the long overdue apology. And he had patted Fishlegs sympathetically on his shoulder and reminded him that he was only alive because Fishlegs had saved him. If any other Rider had been sent for 'bruise fruit', he would be dead. Only Fishlegs with his amazing botanical language could have recognised the plant from the fragmented remains of the wrecked bushes, realised that they were the Sentinels' Fruit from Vanaheim and made the long and dangerous journey on his own to get them just in time. That had more than made up for anything he had done in the past.

"And besides-who else would I have to geek out with about any new dragons?" Hiccup had asked him with a small smile.

That just said everything about his friend, deflecting apologies with a reminder of their friendship, their shared love of dragons and absolving his friend of any guilt. Smiling slightly, Fishlegs rolled his shoulders, still feeling the slight pull of his tattoo. They all had one, the symbol of the hunters surrounded by a circle with a single diagonal line through, showing they were no more. It was the exact size and placement of Hiccup's brand so they all had an identical mark-and only careful inspection could show that Hiccup's was a disguised brand, rather than a virgin tattoo.

"Hey-how's it going, Fishface?" Snotlout's arrogant voice floated from further down the line. Rolling his blue-green eyes, Fishlegs sighed.

"Slowly," he admitted.

"Hah! What's taking you so long?" the other rider asked him unsympathetically. A surge of irritation rose in Fishlegs's chest. He was sure that Astrid and the twins would have picked the lock and be long gone. But of course, he had to be stuck with Snotlout!

"Well-how are you doing then?" he asked irritably.

"I'm doing great!" Snotlout lied.

"Really? So why aren't you out then?" Fishlegs asked.

"Shut up, Fishface! Picking locks is Hiccup's job. He just makes it look easy!"

"Of course-because he knows how to make a lock so he understands the underlying mechanisms and workings…" Fishlegs replied.

"Whatever," Snotlout called back. "Face it-we're the worst two people who could be locked up without the others. I bet one of them would be out by now…"

"All of them would," Fishlegs said and then he paused. "I wonder what's happened to Heather?"

There was a long silence.

"We heard her scream," Snotlout said in a very sober voice. "I mean, Heather's tough. And Windshear was trying to tear her way through the bars to get to her. And the other dragons as well…" There was a pause and Fishlegs knew that the other Rider was casting a look at his own dragon, a look comprising love and pride and trust…the same look they all gave their dragons.

"She'll be okay," Fishlegs said, more to convince himself than because he believed it. "She's tough and smart. She'll say what they want to hear, not what they need to know." Snotlout sighed.

"Okay-let's be honest. We're not going to get out of here, are we?"

"No," Fishlegs said. "We're stuck…"

"Until Hiccup comes…and then Johann will kill him…" Snotlout groaned. There was a pause and then a familiar roar echoed through the caves. Both riders stiffened, recognising the roar and feeling their hearts sink at their utter uselessness and helplessness in the drama to come. Snotlout rubbed his nose as he craned to look towards the door, where the guards were already moving towards the main entrance to the base. "Toothless!" he said despondently. "He's here!"

oOo

"JOHANN! I KNOW YOU'RE IN THERE!" Hiccup's voice echoed across the restless seas that splashed against the main dock. He was carefully far enough back that the catapults and net launchers couldn't reach Toothless-or Barf'n'Belch behind him. "COME OUT!"

"Oh, that's really going to make me reconsider the error of my ways," Johann shouted snidely, appearing in the mouth of the main entrance to the cave. "I _don't_ think so!" Hanging in the air on Toothless, the great wings flapping rhythmically, Hiccup had to force himself not to react. The man looked the same-but the voice was anything but the servile, unthreatening man he was used to. Mentally, he slapped himself. It was easy to underestimate Johann because he had known the Trader his entire life as an unthreatening presence. But he was anything but, a malignant force that had permeated the Archipelago and played her inhabitants for fools.

"I want my friends back!" Hiccup called, his voice hard. He was feeling tired from the flight, still recuperating even after all this time from the Wine of Hela. It was frustrating and worrying in equal measures, for he feared that perhaps he would never regain his stamina. Would he always remain weak and lacking in endurance, a disgrace to his heritage and barely capable to lead his Tribe? Johann laughing scornfully didn't help his wavering confidence.

"And I want the DragonEye!" Johann shouted back. "Perhaps we should organise a trade…"

"Johann-you know I can't give you my DragonEye," Hiccup replied. "I can't hand you and your Hunter pals the means of capturing and destroying so many dragons!"

"Not that I consider Hunters anything more than a tool to be used and discarded at will," Johann called scornfully, "I feel you fail to understand the nature of negotiation, _Master Hiccup_." The tone of the last two words was extremely sarcastic.

"Negotiation: a discussion aimed at reaching an agreement," Tuff recited automatically.

"You see-we all know what the word means," Hiccup added. "But the problem is that negotiation requires some level of trust that the other party will deliver. And you, Johann…well, I think we all know how far we can trust you…"

"Master Hiccup, you wound me!" Johann shouted, his tone disappointed. "I am sure we are both men of our word…"

"That makes one of us," Hiccup retorted. "Johann, you've lied to us basically for over twenty years. You've manipulated us. I know you have covertly helped Dagur and Viggo against us. Why should I believe you?"

"Because you will never see your friends alive again if you don't do what you're told, boy!" the former Trader roared. "I will willingly kill them and pitch them, piece by piece, into the sea unless you do exactly what I say!"

"Uh-huh," Hiccup replanted flatly, seeing Johann's eyes widen. "First up, I need proof they are alive in the first place. I don't trust you not to have already killed them." Johann half-turned his head and gestured brusquely. A guard walked forward, holding a drooping shape with her hands tied behind her back. Hiccup bit his lip at the sight of Heather, battered and beaten, a deep cut marring her left cheek with blood smeared all over her face. Her left thigh was crudely bandaged with a large bloodstain on the grubby material and she looked tired and defeated.

"Is this good enough?" Johann sneered as Hiccup felt himself stiffen. Beneath him, Toothless was tense and the Rider could guess his dragon was furious at seeing his friend hurt.

"HEATHER!" Hiccup yelled as the bleary green eyes flicked up. She shook her head.

"Go," she mouthed as Hiccup tensed with fury.

"Johann…what have you done?" he growled. The former Trader gave a cruel chuckle.

"Made a point," he sneered. "This is serious, boy, and you and your naive friends seem to be playing this like a childish game. Alvin, Dagur, Viggo and Ryker all treated you like children and no one ever seemed to harm you…but a real enemy would have slain you the moment he got his hands on you. And it was only when Krogan joined the game that they all started to behave like adults!"

"Johann, no one doubted that this is serious," Hiccup replied, inspecting Heather carefully. "Now give my friends back!"

"Or WHAT?" Johann snapped. "We're safe in this base, most of your friends are my prisoner and I have their dragons as well. So I think you will come in and hand over the DragonEye and your lenses or you lose them all…"

"Not gonna happen," Hiccup told him flatly. "Been there, done that. And I'm not so stupid that I make the same mistake twice." Johann gave a sarcastic chuckle.

"Finally, you show a little common sense…sadly, too late," he commented.

"Heather needs medical help," Hiccup called. "Let me tender her aid and we can arrange to talk on a more neutral venue. Because I am not coming into your base, Johann. No matter what." Johann walked over to Heather and grabbed her shoulder, dragging her to the edge of the ledge and then looked up.

"Then help her to your heart's content!" Johann snarled and shoved her. Eyes wide, Hiccup stared in horror as she plunged over the drop towards the rocks below…

oOo

The little cavern dock was almost deserted and Johann's ship was abandoned as the Nadder and her rider broke the surface of the water. Checking no one was around, Stormfly leapt onto the rocky shore and shook herself, almost dislodging Astrid-but the girl gave a small smile. She had grown used to Stormfly's mannerisms and had been expecting the shake.

"Keep it quiet, girl," she murmured, leaping from Stormfly's back. She scanned the dock, looking for any guards but the place was deserted. Checking she had her axe and knives ready, she carefully edged to the rough stone corridor that sloped steeply upwards and she was ready to step forward-but the Nadder hissed. Freezing instantly, Astrid looked up and saw the booby trap, the deadfall that would kill her. Inching back and sideways, she craned her neck to peer up and traced the rope to the tripwire. Carefully, she got the dragon to light up her flames and melt the hook around the rope, ruining the trap. Then she walked forward, every sense on edge.

It was plain that the guards had trusted to their trap to prevent any intruders but Astrid was highly experienced and ruthless when it came to infiltrating Hunter Bases and markets. Stormfly hung back, protecting her Rider's back as Astrid soundlessly sneaked up the steep passage until she reached the main area, ducking behind an empty dragon-proof cage and then pausing, her throat working. It wasn't empty, merely containing the decapitated head of a Nadder and the feet, which she had learned were prized for their supposed medicinal properties by some Tribes to the south. Gritting her teeth, she swung her head round and heard two guards slowly walk past, not paying attention to the young woman hiding in the shadows.

"Hey! When are we being fed?" A familiar voice echoed through the corridor and she felt her spirits rise. Snotlout, at least, was alive. The guards rolled their eyes and shared a glance.

"Gods, I'll be glad when we can kill that one," the nearer one grumbled as Astrid grasped her axe. The other sighed.

"Master Johann was very clear: we keep them alive until the boy comes into the Base-and then we killed then in font of him. And as he lowers his guard, Johann will bury his knife in his heart!"

"But for now?"

"Now, let him wail. Honestly, it's like a big baby…"

Astrid rolled her eyes and grabbed a knife, then inched round. As the guards turned, she threw the knife hard, burying deep in the closer man's throat while her axe swung round and beheaded the other man. Flailing and scrabbling at the knife in his throat, the first man scrambled backwards, blood flowing from the terrible wound until the axe chopped down again, ending him. Swiftly, she dragged the bodies behind the wretched cage of remains and used a handful of straw to mop up the blood before she cast a handful of sand to disguise any smears. And then, keys latched to her belt, she crept forward.

"It's your fault," Snotlout complained. "You must have scared them off. I haven't eaten for hours and I may pass out from hunger if the carries on…"

"That would be a relief…but I'm not that lucky," Fishlegs muttered audibly.

"What?"

"That would be unlucky," Fishlegs repeated, a little louder. "Are you okay, Meatlug? Is that mean Snotlout not reassuring you like you need?"

" _Me_ reassure _her_? That dragon has almost gassed me to death!" Snotlout protested.

"Again, a shame she didn't succeed," Fishlegs muttered.

"Pssst!"

The husky rider looked up to see Astrid standing by the cage, a finger pressed to her lips. Eyes wide in shock, Fishlegs covered his mouth to stop himself from squealing.

"Astrid!" he mumbled through his hand. She nodded, swiftly unlocking the cage. Gratefully, he walked out. "Thanks…" She handed him the keys.

"Free the dragons," she said. "I'll go and check on Snotlout…" He nodded as she sidled along the line and rapped her knuckles on the bars. He looked up and he yelped.

"Astrid!" he hissed. "Where have you been? We've been looking everywhere! Thank Thor! I mean, no one knew where you were and for you to arrive just when you need us…I mean, what more sign is there that you were meant for me…?" She crouched down and set to picking the lock, rolling her eyes in exasperation.

"The only reason why I am here, Snot, is because Hiccup found me," she told him bluntly. "I mean, have you forgotten I'm Betrothed to Hiccup?"

"But you gave him your necklace thingy back…" he protested.

"And he gave it back to me when he found me," she told him flatly. "He is the only man on Midgard who could have found me and definitely the only one who could persuade me to return to Berk. because I love him and even though I don't deserve him, he needs me." The lock clicked.

"That lock is unpickable…" Snotlout told her as she stood up and clicked the lock, opening it. He huffed. "I must have softened it up for you." Then the Monstrous Nightmare nudged past Astrid, gifting her a friendly lick before nudging his Rider affectionately. Unashamedly, Snotlout embraced his dragon. "And where have you been, stupid dragon?" he asked in a relieved voice. Hookfang huffed happily as Astrid cast around.

"Where's Heather?" she asked, seeing Windshear look distressed. Automatically, she walked over and calmed the worried Razorwhip.

"She was taken away hours ago," Fishlegs revealed in a nervous voice. "Johann has her…" Taking a slow breath and pressing her lips together, Astrid nodded.

"I need to get you out of here," she said. "Hiccup is here-and I guess Heather will be used as proof you aren't all dead. Though Johann is planning that as soon as Hiccup comes here to negotiate. So you all have to be safe." She beckoned them. "Come with me…"

But they had only reached the top of the passage to the dock when there was a crash and a squawk, with Stormfly scuttling up, her wing held tenderly away from her side. Eyes wide, Astrid ran to her side and saw a nasty sprain. Glancing down the passage, she saw a cloud of dust rolling after the Nadder and realised the bobby trap had given way after all.

"We're trapped," Fishlegs said, so anxious he was almost eating his fingers.

"And that crash will bring the guards," Snotlout added, casting around for a weapon and managing to grab a sword from Hookfang's pack. Astrid swung her axe round.

"Time for plan B," she said, readying for battle…

oOo

Time stood still for a fraction of a second before Hiccup leaned forward as Toothless accelerated as fast as he could, wings pumping to throw the Night Fury and his Rider in a hopeless, reckless and insane dive down towards the rocks to try to grasp the falling Heather. The whine of Night Fury wings slicing the air sounded and Hiccup felt the blast of air as he angled himself, willing his grip to be as strong as it could be. Heather was kicking, a scream bursting from her throat as she dropped to her doom.

The rocks were only feet away when Hiccup wrapped his arm around her and hauled her into his body as Toothless rolled, ready to bottom out the roll and shoot up-but Hiccup suddenly realised that Johann had seen him perform acrobatics too many times and he would know what he would do.

"Toothless-DOWN!" he shouted, leaning forward and pulling Heather against his body. "Take a breath!" And then he sucked a huge lungful of air as they barrel rolled and slammed into the freezing water, sculling through the icy saline and away. Overhead, nets and razor chains soared through the space where Toothless would have been had they done the expected. Then he saw a flash of brilliance as the twins rewarded the treachery with particularly large explosion of Zippleback gas as Toothless undulated away. Heather was shivering with pain and shock and Hiccup tapped the Night Fury's head, requesting the sky once more.

They broke the surface beyond catapult range and Hiccup coughed, taking a gasping breath. He could feel Heather coughing against him and he checked she was okay, looking into her battered face.

"Are you okay?" he asked and then sighed. "Sorry. This was my fault."

"No…mine," she admitted, closing her eyes and resting against him. "I didn't tell him anything, Hiccup. But I allowed Snotlout to talk me into pretending we didn't know about his treachery. Big mistake." Lifting his head, the young Viking glared at the former Trader.

"Thanks for the dip, Johann!" he shouted back. "At least we all know where we stand! And I know exactly how far I can trust you."

"But you also know how far I will go, Hiccup," Johann called coldly. "I have your two friends and three dragons. Who do you want me to have a talk to next? Your cousin? The fat boy? Or maybe I shall start processing one of the dragons…" Heather stiffened against him and he felt his heart shudder at the implication. Toothless was almost vibrating with fury.

"You hurt them and you will never get the DragonEye," Hiccup shouted. He fished out the DragonEye and held it up. "On my word, Toothless will blast it to shards-and no one but me knows how to build one. And then you will NEVER find the King of Dragons. And I will never let you live." There was a moment as the Trader heard the steel in the young Viking's voice and he blinked-before the now-familiar sneer covered his face.

"Then we need a negotiation," he said calmly.

"On the top of the plateau above the Base," Hiccup yelled. "You bring my friends and I bring the DragonEye. Any funny business and you'll never get your hands on it. If I don't see my friends…"

"They will be there," Johann promised, backing away. "One hour."

Hanging in the air for a long moment as Johann vanished amid the shadows, Hiccup turned to the twins.

"Back to Loki's Finger," he shouted and the they both gave a thumb's up and wheeled away, with Toothless accelerating after them. The Night Fury shot past the Zippleback and closed on the large single sea stack that they had reconnoitred before finalising the plan, with Toothless landing and Hiccup carefully climbing off the dragon to tenderly lower Heather to the grass, cutting her bonds before he did. He fumbled in his saddle bags for the first aid kit as she rubbed her raw wrists.

"I'll be fine," she sighed. "We-we need to get in and save Windshear…" Hiccup smiled.

"I already have Astrid on the case," he reassured her as her eyes snapped open.

"You found her?" she asked urgently. He nodded.

"She's okay," he revealed as she sighed.

"I really wanted to see her," she sighed. "I mean, she's my best friend and I know what she's feeling. I feel so bad that she couldn't talk to me…but I know what is driving her. It's the same that drove me when I lost my parents to Dagur's men…" Hiccup sighed.

"Where are you wounded?" he asked as she winced. He looked at the crude bandage and grimaced: he didn't think she would lose the leg but it would certainly slow her down for a long time.

"My leg's the worst," she admitted. "I think I need Gothi to look at it…"

"Funny you should mention that," the auburn-haired Viking smirked as the sounds of dragon roars closed. The A-team circled the sea stack and then landed around the Heir. Gothi immediately clambered off her Gronckle and knelt by Heather, her eyes sympathetic and medicine satchel at her side. Stiffly, Hiccup rose and looked at the newcomers.

"No ships of any sort around here or within five miles," Gustav reported. "Clear in all directions."

"So what's the plan, boyo?" Spitelout asked, leaning forward in the saddle of his Deadly Nadder, Spikes. Hiccup sighed.

"Astrid has gone to release the others and as soon as they are clear, we wipe out the base," Hiccup said. "But we offer Johann the chance to surrender and face his fate."

"Bad idea, boyo," Spitelout told him bluntly. "He'll play the bumbling Trader and no one will believe you. Everyone will think you are mad and demand his release. The only safe option is…" He moved his finger decisively across his throat in a slitting motion.

"I agree," Heather groaned. "He's the most dangerous enemy you have every faced. He won't hesitate to kill you, Hiccup. To kill us all. And he will never stop. You can't give him any chance to escape…" Hiccup nodded.

"I know," he sighed. "And I think in the heat of battle, I could. But in a negotiation?"

"Don't take your eye off him for a second," Heather advised him. "He wants you to die-by any means…"

"You know, Astrid said the same," he murmured. "You can ask her yourself…" The sounds of approaching wings closed-but it was a Triple Stryke, not a Deadly Nadder. Dagur leapt from Sleuther before he had even landed and ran to Heather's side, his face stricken.

"Sister," he gasped. Her eyes widened and her face moved into a weary smile, grasping his hand. Her grip tightened as Gothi gently dabbed the ugly knife wound with a poultice.

"Brother," she sighed. "Glad you came…" The Berserker Chief looked over at the aged healer, his eyes worried.

"Will she live?" he asked urgently and Gothi looked up…then gave a small smile and a nod before turning back to dressing the wound on her leg. "Thank you, brother. I knew I could rely on you." Hiccup walked to crouch by Dagur.

"Right back at you, brother," he said genuinely. "I'm glad you got Sharpshot's message…" Dagur smiled…and then the smile fell from his face.

"We have a problem," he said softly. "The passage from the cave dock into the main base was blocked when I checked. They're trapped."


	26. The Most To Lose

**Twenty Six: The Most To Lose**

Fishlegs had managed to scavenge a sword from the bodies of the guards who were hidden behind a cage they passed but he would rather have been in the air, sitting atop Meatlug and facing the enemy with his dragon. Of course, Meatlug was at his side, her eyes slitted and wings raised in the most aggressive pose she could manage. She did look fierce and he knew how dangerous Gronckles could be, from before the war with the dragons ended-but in his heart, he could never imagine Meatlug as anything but his loving, protective friend.

The footsteps were approaching and Snotlout and Astrid were preparing for battle, weapons raised and game faces on. The change in Astrid was a surprise, for Fishlegs had known her from a child. And while she had always been focussed and serious, now there was a hard edge to her that made him truly believe she would kill without hesitation. The knowledge that she had more or less exterminated Viggo's Tribe and dismantled his organisation just underlined the change that had overtaken his friend.

But facing a battle in the enemy's base with no way out and hopelessly outnumbered with no way to use their dragons was no plan. And though Snotlout would sneer at him about being a coward and not relishing battle, Fishlegs knew he wasn't right. He had Berserker blood-through his mother's side-and the Thor Bonecrusher personality he had developed when hypnotised had expressed those tendencies…but they couldn't have emerged from his rather timid persona if they hadn't already been there.

"This is insane," he said, resting his hand on Meatlug's head. "Astrid! Is there another way out?"

"Just the main entrance," she told him shortly, shifting her weight from foot to foot as the steps closed.

"Look-this is a natural cave system-so there must be another way out," he said urgently.

"Yeah…maybe for a gnat!" Snotlout scoffed, backing up a pace.

"No-this is an extensive cave system…and a lot of water has run through here in the past," he said, gesturing to the stalactites hanging down from the surprisingly high roof of the cave. "And that had to get in somehow. We're not a long way underground and there is no volcano to make these-so there must be a good sized entrance for the water to get in."

"Aww, c'mon…" Snotlout whined but Astrid looked over at him and nodded.

"You're right," she said, then gestured. "That way. GO! I'll hold them off."

"Babe, I can totally…" Snotlout began but she rolled her eyes at him.

"Okay, Snotlout-I will take you up on your offer," she said abruptly. " _You_ hold them off and _I'll_ run away…"

He stared at her, jaw dropped.

"What? No, that's not what…" he began.

"Help Fishlegs get the dragons to the back of the cave system while I hold them off," she said through gritted teeth. "Stormfly and I will follow once you've had time to get away." Needing no further urging, Snotlout turned and sprinted after the husky rider as Astrid lifted her axe once more. Then he paused.

"Astrid?"

"What?"

"Hiccup needs you. Now more than ever. Please don't get yourself killed now he's found you. It would really break him."

"Getting killed wasn't in the plan," Astrid told him shortly. "Now GO!" He ran off as she raised her axe and the first man rounded the corner. "Just you and me, girl. Now let's buy them some time before we get them out of here." A scream burst from her throat as the first man appeared and her axe slashed down…

oOo

Hiccup stared across the sea to the distant silhouette of Nameless Isle, anxiety bubbling in his chest. Dagur's words had winded him, because he knew that Astrid was trapped within the base, at the mercy of Johann and his men, who had already treated Heather so poorly. She was wrapped in a blanket, bandaged and dosed with a potion that Gothi had brought along, while the A Team circled Loki's Finger.

Quietly, he wrapped his arms around his body and allowed his mind to slide back across the months to that evening after Astrid had been blinded, when Gothi had unwound the bandages and Astrid's beautiful clear blue eyes had focussed on him and her lips had lifted in a relieved smile, for she was staring at his concerned face once more. And the words they had spoken, as they sat on the deck, staring out at the lowering sun back on the Edge.

_I'm fine, Hiccup. You can stop worrying about me now._

_Well, I never stop worrying about you. That's just the way it is._

_Yeah, yeah-I guess…that goes for me too. Can I ask you something?_

_Sure._

_Back in the forest, when we were…you know…_

_Yeah…?_

_Were you about to…?_

_Ahh. So-so you felt that, huh? I-I thought I'd got away with it._

_Well…why didn't you?_

_Oh. Oh! Well I…it wasn't perfect. And I always thought that if it ever happened…and yes, I've thought about it…a LOT…er…it had to be just perfect…_

_Well, this seems pretty perfect to me._

_Yeah. Yeah! I guess it does…_

And then, they had leaned closer and he had kissed her, the moment he had dreamed of for years, since that first brief kiss in the Cove. The moment had been extraordinary and eternal but in reality, it had probably only lasted a few seconds. But it had been the moment they had finally taken the step to declare their feelings. They had both sort of known, being best friends and confidantes for ever, but it was a relief to know where they stood and be able to move forward.

But Viggo had tried to sunder them and though he hadn't managed to kill either one, the fallout had separated the couple. It had been Astrid's plan but somehow, it had gone wrong and she as well as Fishlegs and Snotlout were trapped. But he had to hope, to trust that she would escape using the brilliance, determination…yes, and ruthlessness that he knew she possessed.

But it didn't stop him worrying.

"It's okay," Ruff said in a low voice. "They'll find another way out. Astrid is pretty smart and she destroyed all this Hunter Bases. There is no way she is going to give up now she has you back."

"And no way Johann will ever let her go…" Tuff glanced at his twin.

"Maybe we can employ the art of distraction," he suggested. "Those catapults need retiring…"

"That may keep the guards from finding them until they can find another way out," Dagur commented, walking up. "I don't like your plan, brother."

"For the record, neither do I," Hiccup admitted. "But I don't see any other way. It has to end. _I_ have to end it." He nodded and walked back to Heather. "I promise we will get Windshear back," he told her evenly and she blinked at the tone. He sounded uncannily like Stoick in that moment.

"Good luck," she called wearily and he nodded as he clambered onto Toothless.

"We'll all need it," he murmured. _Especially Astrid._ And then he launched, heading back to Nameless Isle as the others headed for the main entrance, launching an attack on the weapons as Toothless soared up to the plateau, seeing Johann standing there with two of his men and two shapes with sacks over their head, wrapped up in ropes and gagged. Johann waved at the Night Fury as it circled, his face twisted in a triumphant smile.

"You can see that I have kept my part of the deal," he shouted. "Have you, Hiccup?" The young viking didn't respond, circling the plateau and looking for any sign of other men, of an ambush…but the only people there were Johann, his two men and the prisoners. "As you can see, they are hale and well!"

Toothless circled again. There were certainly a husky shape and a shorter stocky shape wrapped in sacks, covering them from their head to their knees, with a gag to stop them shouting a warning-or giving themselves away. Hiccup leaned forward.

"Is it them, bud?" he murmured. The Night Fury sniffed-and then gave a growl. Hiccup gave a small smile. "Difficult to miss Snotlout, isn't it?" he chuckled. "Or fake him!" Then he looked up, still circling. "They may be hale and well-but you wanna take their hoods off, Johann? So I can see their faces? Because I already know they aren't my friends. STOP LYING!"

Johann's fists clenched and he gestured. The ropes and sacks were slashed and two more of Johann's men emerged, blinking but fully armed.

"Not as stupid as you look, Master Hiccup," he growled.

"Send them away!" Hiccup ordered sharply. "Or I go."

"No, you won't," Johann sneered. "You friends are currently cornered in the back of the cave system. There is no way out-and my men will recapture them. Do you want them instantly killed-or captured and open for exchange? Land!"

"The men go!" Hiccup snapped.

"Two of them," Johann bargained. "After all, you have brought a friend."

"One friend."

"He is worth two men," Johann wheedled.

_He's worth hundred but I'm not giving you that._

"They throw their weapons aside and stand at the far side of the plateau," Hiccup ordered. Making a show of thinking about it, Johann nodded. Then he gestured to his men.

"You two, go. Back to the base and await my instructions. The others…over there. Swords on the ground…"

"All weapons, Johann," Hiccup called, still circling. Growling in his throat, the Trader gestured.

"You heard the skinny one-legged Viking," he snapped. "All weapons. Now jump to it." Finally, the other two men vanished down a concealed dip that must lead down into the base while the others walked to the far side of the plateau and then threw their weapons to the ground. Finally, carefully keeping Johann between himself and the way the other men had vanished, Toothless landed. Slowly, Hiccup dismounted and rested a hand briefly on the Night Fury's head.

"Keep a close watch, bud," he murmured before he turned his attention to the Trader. "Okay, Johann-let's talk."

oOo

The first wave of Johann's guards were tentative and hung back as Astrid easily dispatched them and Stormfly finished anyone stupid enough to come close. Hearing the next group prepare, Astrid knew they would be a harder proposition and she turned.

"Let's go," she murmured, seeing other dragons in the cages. Swiftly, she ran and let them out, seeing them head in the direction of the main entrance, where they could smell fresh air and hear the sea. And intercept the guards. Then she ran after the others, Stormfly at her back. There was a heavy door that had been forced open and she closed and jammed it behind her as they left the well-lit areas of the cave system into the darker and damper reaches of the caves. Stormfly opened her mouth, flames burning there like a living torch as they sped forward, the dragon sniffing and indicating which way the others had gone. But at one point, she paused and gave an unhappy shake.

"Have they gone the wrong way?" she asked and the Nadder nodded. Rolling her eyes, she huffed. "Why does that not surprise me," she sighed, pausing. "SNOTLOUT! FISHLEGS!"

"Here!" the husky rider called from the gloom. "It's a dead end this way."

"Yeah, Fishface-I said we should have gone forward, not right," Snotlout huffed, approaching. The sounds of the dragons closing grew louder.

"Actually, Stormfly says it's left," Astrid told them as they appeared, looking grubby and worried. Snotlout gave a brash smile.

"That's what I said-left!" he announced. Rolling her eyes, Astrid patted Stormfly's shoulder and the Nadder bounded off into the darkness, with the Riders and dragons swiftly following. They had to stop as Fishlegs fell over twice and tripped and fell into a small ice-cold stream once while Snotlout stubbed his toe and whined like a child but finally, they saw the glimmering of grey daylight ahead. Astrid sped forward and peered up a steep chimney at the flat patch of grey sky up ahead.

"You were right, Fishlegs," she said. "That's our way out." But the husky rider frowned.

"That looks pretty narrow," he pointed out. Snotlout gestured and the Monstrous Nightmare bounded forward and began to clamber up the sheer walls-but his talons slid off the smooth and slick rock and he landed in an ungainly heap at the bottom of the vertical. Snotlout tutted and earned himself a slap from the dragon's tail.

"Too slippery," he reported from the floor a couple of yard back where he landed after the swipe. Astrid stared upwards, running her hands on the walls. She had hoped that Windshear and Hookfang, at least, wound be able to clamber out…but she knew that Stormfly, who was designed very much like a bird, wouldn't manage it.

"Meatlug is the only one who can hover up there," she said, glancing over her shoulder and listening for sounds of pursuit. "She can check if the entrance is clear and then she can lift us up." Worriedly, Fishlegs glanced over at Meatlug, who was scratching behind her ear with a paw and then he smiled.

"I know she can do it, can't you Meatlug?" The Gronckle gave a little rumble and then he clambered on her back and the solid brown dragon unfurled her small wings and hovered slowly upwards through the chimney and up to the surface. Pausing below the surface, Fishlegs warily stood up and peeked over the ground level, seeing a rugged granite landscape of cracked rocks and a few streams meandering between the boulders. There was no one in sight and he heaved a huge sigh of relief, then nodded and they slowly descended once more.

"I take it we've got good news," Snotlout grumbled but Astrid was already fumbling with her packs for ropes. Carefully, they wrapped up Snotlout and Hookfang and after warning the Nightmare not to flame under any circumstance, Meatlug slowly hovered them up. Astrid spent her time comforting the dragons and keeping an eye on the dim cave as she waited. After a few minutes, Meatlug hovered back down.

"Windshear next," Astrid insisted. "Stormfly will stay with me until the end." Walking gently to the Razowhip, the young woman rested her hand on the dragon's muzzle. "It's okay, girl-we'll get you out and then we can find Heather." The dragon gave a little growl and allowed herself to be wrapped in the ropes like a sling before Meatlug valiantly hauled her up. It was clear the brave Gronckle was struggling but they got Windshear to safety before the Gronckle gave a weary rumble. Astrid sighed as Fishlegs slowly hovered Meatlug down.

"You next," Fishlegs said as Meatlug touched down-but the young woman shook her head.

"Stormfly can't get out on her own-and you wouldn't leave Meatlug behind if the situation was reversed," she told him. He sighed.

"We can take you both…" he began.

"We can both see that Meatlug is exhausted," she said bluntly. "Can you get her up while I watch out?"

"I'd feel happier if you were safe," Fishlegs began but she gave a grim smile.

"I'm not safe-and I want my girl rescued first," she said. "I wouldn't forgive myself if I was being rescued while she was being captured or killed below."

"But…"

"Please," she said quietly. "Rescue my dragon!"

Defeated, Fishlegs wrapped Stormfly up in the rope sling and Astrid calmed the Nadder before the weary Meatlug hovered slowly up, raising her friend up the tight space. Cawing and looking very unhappy, Stormfly slowly rose away from her rider as Astrid felt the pressure of concern release. No matter what she did, she always left a way out for Stormfly, because the dragon was her truest friend and did not deserve to die from Astrid's revenge.

But there were sounds echoing closer, the yells and staccato tap of steps as Johann's men flooded the dim caverns, looking for the fugitives and hopefully not realising their nemesis was here also. She glanced up: Stormfly still had a third of the ascent to go, for Meatlug was very tired. Hefting her axe in her hands, she took a step away from the chimney, her eyes fixed on the gloom, seeing torches weaving in the distance, the reflected yellow and orange of the flames gilding the fallen rocks-but closing fast. At least she could buy the others time…

"ASTRID!" Her head snapped round at the sound of Snotlout's shout, which betrayed their location. She growled-but a rope coiled down, a loop on the end. "Grab the rope! We'll pull you up!"

The shouts and lights were heading directly at the girl. But she wasn't in a hurry to die either so she ran back, launching herself at the loop on the rope-and as soon as her hands closed on the rope, it shot up.

"Hang on!" Fishlegs called unnecessarily as she raced up the chimney, shooting out into the cold grey day, dangling above the drop as Hookfang and Snotlout hovered above, having hauled her up at top speed.

"Miss me?" the stocky rider grinned brashly. She smiled and swung the rope, letting go and landing on the solid ground.

"Just this once, yes," she admitted, talking a deep breath as the shouts echoed up the chimney. Hookfang landed and his rider gave a broad grin.

"So we're free-time for payback," he said with feeling but Astrid shook her head.

"If things have gone to plan, Hiccup is facing Johann now…somewhere up here above the base," Astrid told him, casting around. "Where's Windshear?" Fishlegs shrugged.

"As soon as she got out of here, she took off and headed east," he reported and she looked thoughtful for a moment.

"Maybe he's already got her out," she decided. "I know she'll come back to Heather. But we need to go to help Hiccup…"

Toothless's roar echoed across the cold land. Three human heads and three dragon heads snapped round and they all looked up. Astrid leapt into the saddle.

"Come on!" she said. "That's the signal. Hiccup's in trouble."

"When isn't he?" Snotlout muttered as Hookfang took off after her.


	27. One Must Die

**Twenty Seven: One Must Die**

"Well, Master Hiccup-it is good to finally talk to you, man to man, without any subterfuge," Johann announced, an arm swinging out expensively. Hiccup raised an eyebrow.

"Really? I thought you would find it strange, not lying to me and everyone else all the time," Hiccup replied shortly, his eyes never leaving the Trader. Johann chuckled.

"You feel sore about that? When you lied to your tribe and shamed your family and entire history?" the former Trader taunted him.

"This isn't about me-but my actions prevented a war while yours are aimed at causing one," Hiccup retorted. Johann chuckled.

"There will be no war-only massacre and surrender," he said darkly. "The King of Dragons commands them all-and with every dragon at my command-even your precious Night Fury-then no one will stand in my way."

"We will always stand against those who threaten us," Hiccup snapped but Johann gave a mocking smile.

"Ah yes-your propensity to stick your nose where it has no business," he scoffed.

"So is Johann even your real name?" Hiccup asked him dryly. The man chuckled.

"You know, I can't even recall what that was, I've worn so many over the years," he said dismissively. "Though being Johann has served me well. And I have profited well from the prejudices, vanity and treacheries of you Vikings." Hiccup stared stonily at you.

"So how did you…?"

"Simple. I took what I needed. The tales of real traders. Their names. And finally, their ships and lives," Johann gloated. "How's your shoulder, Hiccup?"

"Perfect," he said too quickly, his hand rising to press against the area. Johann noted the gesture and he smiled broadly.

"And when the other tribes find the the Hooligan Heir is just a slave, nothing, worthless?" he asked cruelly but Hiccup lifted his chin.

"I don't have a brand," Hiccup told him. Johann raised his eyebrows.

"Really? I watched it happen," he sneered, his voice suddenly filling with loathing. "And you have no idea, no concept whatsoever of how long I have dreamed of that moment. From the hour I heard you had befriended dragons, I knew you would be trouble, with your tendency to turn up where not wanted, your stupid but loyal friends and even 'the great Chief' backing you up when he should have slaughtered you for treason! I had to get you out of the way or I would never have progressed my plans. Why did you think I went near Breakneck Bog? Or was on Outcast Island when my operative got the key to Dagur? How did your enemies know where you were, when the Edge was unguarded?"

"You have been busy," Hiccup commented sarcastically, pacing slightly to maintain the distance between himself and the former Trader. "Surprised you had time to do any trade."

"You think I worry in the long term about a few meagre Viking coins when I will become the most powerful and richest man in the world when I am done?" Johann scoffed. "Everything has been bent to this aim." He gave a pitying look. "You know, you are the most smart and innovative of your primitive kind-and you cannot appreciate the level of planning and the sophistication of my strategy. You know, your parochial view of the world is laughable, given the powers that face you that you have no concept about! I am the only one you are aware of-however dimly-and though the others will bring you disaster, I will ultimately triumph. And when I have your father, cowering on his face and begging to slit your throat so I will spare his tribe, I will finally have achieved my aim."

"You aren't getting the DragonEye," Hiccup said, backing up a pace. Johann's eyes narrowed, his voice changing abruptly from his Trader-like, expansive diatribe to a good approximation of Krogan's even tone..

"You know the key to negotiation is knowing what you are prepared to give way on and what are your absolute red lines," he lectured the young Viking.

"Not letting you get your hands on the DragonEye. Not allowing you to find the King of Dragons. Not letting you harm my friends and their dragons…" Hiccup replied stubbornly. Johann gave a theatrical sigh.

"I see I shall have to explain it again," he said. "You have to give something up."

"I have," Hiccup told him. "I came to speak to you."

"And that will be your death!" Johann growled, an arm flinging forward and growing a dagger straight at Hiccup. But the young Viking was ready and the Dragon Sword swung up, the flaming blade parrying the knife harmlessly aside.

"It really was you," Hiccup accused him, shifting his weight forward and keeping his eyes locked onto the opponent's face. "As I was regaining consciousness. I recognised you."

"Aren't you the clever one?" Johann sneered. "Another moment and I would have slit your wrists and left you to bleed out-but that damned worm interfered…"

"Worm?" Hiccup murmured and then he heard a warble. "Toothless? That's just insulting, Johann. I take it he bested you…again…" The other man's fury was even more reassuring as explosions sounded from over the cliffs.

"We have a deal!" Johan roared.

"That I would meet you-not that my allies wouldn't demolish your base in the meantime," Hiccup told him as the man snapped more knives into his arms.

"You've lived far too long!" he snarled and snapped his head round. "NOW!"

The men lunged at Toothless and the Night Fury bounded back, allowing them to crowd him before he roared and then blasted the nearest man back, his broken body flying five yards beyond slamming into the dry ground. The second man raised a huge, two-headed axe and charged Toothless but the Night Fury simply swatted him aside with his tail. Stiffening, Hiccup glanced backwards and realised he had paced enough during the verbal sparring to put himself between Johann and the entrance to his base. And Johann's men were erupting behind him.

"TOOTHLESS!" he shouted as Johann lunged forward, his knives clanging against the flaming blade. Feeling himself thrown back another step, Hiccup pulled himself up and slammed a powerful overhead blow down on the Trader, forcing him to crouch back to defend himself and allow Hiccup to fly past, rolling back to his feet and managing to get to a point where Johann's men were to one side and Toothless to the other. Johann slashed out and Hiccup hissed in pain as the knife tagged his waist. Teeth gritted, he pressed a hand to the wound and peered at the blood: not too much but painful and a reminder that Johann was dangerous. He just hoped the blade wasn't poisoned but he guessed that Johann wouldn't routinely keep poisoned blades about his person.

Spinning, Hiccup parried the swords of two men who crowded him, slamming them aside and swinging his own blade round to deal the pair a lethal blow simultaneously. As they fell, another surged forward and Hiccup ducked below the swipe, the upwards swing of the blade splitting the man open from crotch to throat. Continuing the motion, he beheaded the man next to him and danced sideways as a spear jabbed where he had been, before dodging back as one of Toothless's plasma blasts took down the spearman. Taking another pace sideway, he found himself facing Johann again.

"You appear to be outnumbered," Johann sneered as he lunged, his blades parrying the sword and making Hiccup realise that Johann was much stronger than he looked-or that he was starting to tire. It had been a tiring day already and Hiccup cursed the after-effects of the Wine of Hela. He was as stubborn as a rock and fully the equal of his father in the obstinacy stakes-but his body was starting to let him down. His motions were just a little slower, allowing Johann's knives to catch his his leg and neck. His bracers blocked a couple of slashes but finally, Johann sliced across his hand and the sword clattered from his grasp, blood welling from the deep cut.

Aware of Toothless roaring in fury as he smelled his Rider's blood, Hiccup threw himself forward, his hands gripping Johann's wrists and wrestling with a man more ruthless and far stronger and heavier than he was. "And that is an act of desperation, giving up the range of your sword when I shall inevitably win," Johann sneered, knowing he would have landed a lethal blow from his knives before Hiccup could have retrieved his sword. Looking into the cold, merciless eyes, Hiccup finally understood what Astrid, Heather and Spitelout had been trying to tell him. This wasn't a man who could be reasoned with, a man who would see the error of his ways and transform into an ally of Berk. No, this was a man who would stop at _nothing_ until he got what he wanted and would sweep any man or dragon aside who stood in his way. A man where there was only one resolution, since he had declared his visceral hatred of Hiccup. One of them had to die.

"I wouldn't bet in it," Hiccup grunted, feeling his energy waning and wrists being forced inexorably backwards. Johann was starting to break free and if they carried on much longer, he would kill Hiccup. Then the roar of a Nadder sounded. And despite everything, he felt his lips curl in a relieved smile. "Especially not now."

Hookfang and Meatlug appeared, attacking the emerging guards with all the ferocity the Riders had used on the Dragon Hunter Tribe. Snotlout was whooping as usual and dimly, he saw Stormfly take a pass the help Toothless against all his foes before Astrid leaped from her back. Meatlug's lava splashed on two guards, horribly melting them and Hookfang blasted a couple more men, turning them into walking infernos. The screams and hideous scents fo charred flesh filled Hiccup's senses as Johann smirked, ripping his left arm free.

"I win!" he sneered and stabbed the blade at Hiccup's left side. Grunting in pain as the edge sliced his leather armour, tunic and skin, Hiccup twisted enough to prevent it sinking into his body, though it glanced off a rib. His vision blurred in pain…until a voice dragged him back to reality.

"BABE! NOW!"

Time slowed as Hiccup responded automatically, relying on and completely trusting the owner of the voice as he had every moment since he had woken from his coma after defeating the Red Death. Immediately, he had thrown himself to the floor as three arrows whiffled right by him, all three slicing Johann's arm, shoulder and body as they shot by.

"HA! YOU MISSED!" Johann roared in triumph, waving his bloody knife in triumph.

"I won't," Hiccup grunted. Rolling, the auburn-haired Viking's fingers brushed against the smooth metal he had made and he managed to snatch his sword. Before Johann could register that he was still alive, he stabbed up, driving the blade deep into Johann's middle.

The man bellowed, breaking away and staggering towards the entrance to his base.

"I'll ruin you!" he promised, a hand pressed to the wound."Everyone will know you're a slave-and that Hiccup and his Riders attacked poor Trader Johann and stole his wares. I'll make you pirates and pariahs. Every Tribe will rise against you… I'll see you DEAD!" And then he vanished, the steel trap door slamming shut and the bolts sliding home with an ear-splitting screech. Hookfang and Toothless howled in pain at the sound as the guards stared after their leader in shock and then back at the furious Riders, who had slaughtered most of their fellows. There had been no quarter given for the men who had tried to end Hiccup and Toothless and none of the men who still faced the Riders without any route for escape could see any future now their leader had abandoned them. They all promptly surrendered. Sagging, Hiccup lay back on the cold ground, his hand pressed to the wound on his chest.

"Hiccup? Babe-are you okay?" Astrid ran forward, the bow in her hand and quiver hanging from her belt. He gave a shaky thumbs-up.

"I'm okay," he sighed as she knelt by him, inspecting his side and whistling Stormfly. The Nadder instantly bounded forward and she reached up, carefully pulling wadding and a bandage from her saddlebags. Murmuring thanks to the Nadder, who went back to greeting her friend Toothless, she deftly padded then bandaged the wound and helped him sit up. Unselfconsciously, she pressed a small kiss to his lips.

"Are you sure?" she asked and he nodded.

"You were late," he told her as she shrugged.

"I had to deal with Snotlout," she admitted. "And it was a little more exciting than usual. Did you cope?"

"I improvised," he admitted. "And you missed…"

"I rather think you tagged him well enough for both of us," she told him. "But I didn't miss." She rose and poured the arrows carefully from the quiver onto the ground where the three blood-stained arrows had stuck into the thin soil and gestured. Instantly, Stormfly came forward and poured a long blast of her Magnesium-hot flame to vaporise the arrows. Hiccup frowned.

"Astrid?" he asked. She crouched by him and sat back on her heels once more.

"The tips were coated in Slitherwing venom," she told him simply. "I only needed to tag him once. I hit him with all three. No matter what he threatens, he's a dead man. So we can treat you and then close down this base…and then go after him."

"How do you know he's not holed up in the base?" Hiccup asked him but she shook her head.

"He always has a way out," she told him. "I learned that over the months…" He sighed.

"You were right," he conceded. She nodded absently. "There was only one way it was ever going to end." And then he sighed. "It's not me…but I had to do it…" Her hand closed on his.

"Is Heather okay?" she interrupted him, her eyes worried.

"A bit bruised and battered but Gothi thinks she'll live," Hiccup reported.

"Where is she?"

"Loki's finger," Hiccup reported as Toothless nudged him and he hugged the dragon. "Bud. You okay?" The Night Fury warbled a swift affirmative, licking his cheek absently.

"That will be where Windshear headed off for," Fishlegs realised, walking closer. He and Snotlout had secure the remaining men and had checked their fellows for signs of life.

"Can we please get off of this mountain?" Snotlout moaned. "Every time we try to do anything here, it always goes wrong."

"What do you mean? We won!" Fishlegs told him.

"There'll probably be an ambush, an earthquake, possibly a plague of Terrible Terrors or _something_ if we hang around here!" Snotlout snapped. "And do I need to point out that Hiccup is wounded-again? And I'm hungry…" Astrid helped Hiccup onto Toothless and checked his wounds.

"And we can't have that," she murmured dryly.

"We wouldn't have had to be out here if you hadn't run…" Snotlout began but Fishlegs gave sharp intake of breath.

"Oooh-you didn't just say that, did you?" he murmured as Astrid rounded on the stocky rider.

"What?" she hissed. Hiccup reached for her but she pulled away, marching towards the Monstrous Nightmare Rider.

"Well, babe-seems to me that we wouldn't even be in this mess if you hadn't run away…" Snotlout repeated unwisely before Astrid punched him in the face.

"Apart from the fact that you wouldn't be in this mess if you hadn't been so stupid and not done as you were told in going with a man I specifically and very clearly told the Chief was an enemy, a traitor and a murderer, I had to leave because Johann was searching for me and being on Berk or near you would put you all in danger. I have bounty hunters on my tail-I've killed about fifteen so far-and they wouldn't hesitate to use you to get to me."

"Well I could always…" Snotlout began.

"NO! Just…no…" she said, her voice suddenly softer. "I don't want anyone else to be harmed."

"Astrid…" Hiccup spoke gently to her and she turned, walking back to catch his outstretched hand. "Astrid…no one else is going to be hurt. We find Johann and we make him remove the bounty…or we spread the news of his death. If no one is alive to pay the bounty, the bounty hunters will give up. They don't work for nothing."

"Especially not with the number I've killed," she murmured, allowing herself to be pulled closer to him.

"Stay with me-please?" he breathed. Her eyes softened.

"I'm not leaving you anywhere, Babe," she assured him, kissing him on the cheek. He winced. "We need to get you to Gothi." She looked over to the others. "Can you sweep for any remaining guards with the twins and Dagur? I'll get Hiccup to Gothi…" Snotlout nodded and got up into the air, though Fishlegs paused.

"Do you think he's gone?" he asked and Hiccup paused.

"I think Astrid's right-there's always a back door," he confirmed as Fishlegs hesitated again.

"Are you okay?" he asked as Hiccup nodded. Astrid securely sat behind him, wrapping her arms around his body and making sure he was secure.

"Keep an eye on Snot, will you?" Astrid asked. "And make sure all of Johann's guards are finished or captured. Then can you tow the Yakmina back from the dock to us? I have an idea." Hiccup chuckled.

"You know, I'm going to have to keep and an eye on you-or I'll lose my job," he told her playfully. She rested her head on his shoulder.

"Never," she murmured. "I'm just doing what any lieutenant would do."

"Oh no," Hiccup murmured. "You're my General-and always will be." He leaned forwards slightly. "C'mon, Bud, Let's get me fixed up and hope Dad doesn't notice…"

"No chance of that," Astrid told him as Toothless launched. Fishlegs stared after them as Hookfang circled round and Snotlout hovered above him.

"Did we just get left with the clean-up, Fishface?" he asked irritably. The husky Rider nodded.

"I think so," he murmured, catching the edge to Snotlout's voice. "Hey, you wanna disagree, you can talk to Astrid…"

"AGH!" Snotlout said and flew off. "I'll just tell the twins to do it…"

oOo

Johann lay back in the stern of the little boat he had stashed in the cove by the back exit of the base on Nameless Isle. It wasn't the Yakmina, but it didn't matter, because he was Trader Johann, known and liked everywhere. And while he despised and cursed most of the brainless Vikings of the Archipelago, the cover he had created over many years was now his best weapon against the Dragon Riders. Who would believe that he, Johann, everyone's friend, was the mastermind behind the Dragon Hunters?

He grimaced, his face twisted in pain. He was dizzy and felt hot and cold and there were green blotches on his skin, while chills surged through him. He gritted his teeth and pressed a hand to the tight bandage around his middle, the wound stuffed with a poultice he had obtained from a wise woman far to the south for sword wounds. The scratches and nicks from the combat had been wiped and smeared with salve and he had sailed away while the Riders were still rending his base apart, heading into the fog banks.

His head jerked up, eyes blinking owlishly. He had dozed off and it seemed to be dusk, the cold orange light illuminating the grey skeins of fog as they clustered around the flaccid sail, hanging motionless and beaded with moisture. The wind had died and the current seemed to have abandoned him, stranding him in this lonely doldrum, as the blood pounded louder and louder in his ears…

…or was it the beating of dragon wings, closing on his location shrouded in the gloom? He felt a shiver tremble through him and swallowed a little spit. His water flask was a few feet away but he didn't have the strength to drag himself over to it and his throat felt like parchment. As he looked up, he saw the fog begin to thin and dissipate as the sounds grew closer-and then he realised that his ship was ringed by hovering dragons, all with Riders staring down on him. His eyes widened and then he pulled himself more upright, flailing an arm and grabbing his bow, lifting it with wavering arms to point vaguely at the shape on the black Night Fury.

"Hey, Johann," Hiccup said, his face pale and looking exhausted. There were bandages wound around his chest and side and he was sagging a little in his saddle. At his right hand side, Astrid was hovering on Stormfly, her eyes fixed on the Trader while Snotlout was hovering to Hiccup's left, scowling. Spaced around the little ship were Dagur on Sleuther, the bandaged Heather on Windshear, the twins on Barf'n'Belch, Fishlegs on Meatlug, Gothi on her Gronckle, Gustav on Hookfang and Spitelout on Spikes. Mulch, Bucket and Sven were escorting the prisoners back to Berserker Island for trial. The trader forced his expression into a sneer, the effort of which hurt his face.

"You think…I'm going to beg for my life?" Johann rasped. "I know you, boy…you won't harm me."

"I don't need to," Hiccup told him in an apologetic voice.

"I already have," Astrid announced. Johan turned the bow on her.

"What have you done?" he wheezed. She gave a thin smile.

"Do you know the antidote for Slitherwing venom?" she asked him. He bared his teeth.

"Imagine…for a moment…I'm not a soppy fool who see dragons as pets, but as a commodity," he rasped. "Give me the recipe…"

"It won't work…not unless you already have a supply of Angelfern root, pine sap…and Slitherwing venom," Hiccup told him tonelessly. "Except…Angelfern only grows a day's flight from here…and Astrid destroyed all her Slitherwing-impregnated arrows once she had shot you. So realistically…we can't help…"

"You must!" Johann yelled. "You're Hiccup Haddock. You interfere in everything. You save even your enemies!"

"Not you," Astrid replied, never taking her eyes off Johann. "You were hit over four hours ago. "You've only got a few hours left at most. Probably less… Have you seen yourself, Johann? You already look dead!"

"Then I'll take you with me!" he growled and launched the arrow straight at her body. But the instant sound of Toothless's plasma blast shattered the missile as the Riders all back-winged away from the ship.

"Goodbye, Johann," Hiccup said quietly. "Say hi to Krogan and Viggo for me!"

"Wait…" he howled, scrabbling to his knees. "You can't leave me. You can't…"

But the clammy fog began to drift back in, muffling the sounds and shrouding the little vessel as his cries went unanswered and finally, alone and unmourned, Traitor Johann and his dreams of conquest quietly died.

oOo

The Riders returned to the ship early the next morning and saw the man sprawled on his face, his lips white and eyes staring, blood-stained spittle still splattered over his tunic and the deck by his face. Slowly hovering, Hiccup breathed slowly and evenly, warring with himself. Every instinct told him that this man deserved a burial, as did every human, but Johann's relentless bile and venom towards Hiccup and latterly Astrid meant that he couldn't force himself to become the world's greatest hypocrite in speaking the words. So he said nothing, looking around his friends-and seeing them all lower their eyes.

So unheralded and unannounced, the Night Fury Rider raised his arm and all the dragons fired on the little boat, setting it aflame immediately. And though the others headed back to the nearby Edge for rest and to ensure that the wounded received proper medical attention from Gothi before they headed on the long flight back to Berk, Hiccup and Astrid remained to ensure the flames completely consumed the boat and its inhabitant. Finally, when the boat sunk below the waves, hiccup turned to Astrid.

"It's finally over," he told her with relief but she shook her head.

"The enemy is defeated but it's not over," she reminded him. "There will be consequences from this. A Dragon Rider destroyed markets and ships and an entire Tribe. I may not be allowed to stay anywhere in the Archipelago."

"Over my dead body," Hiccup vowed with a small smile.

"I think I did all this because I thought that had happened, Babe," she pointed out. "Not allowing that to happen again."

"Not too keen on it myself, to be honest," he admitted. "It won't happen, Astrid. You fought for me-and I will fight for you. I promise." He paused and smiled. "I only just got you back. I can't lose you again."

"I don't wanna be lost," she admitted, looking into his eyes. "But we may have no choice."

"There is always a choice," he said. "And this time, there is no running. No one is separating us ever again, Astrid. Because I will fly to and fight to the end of the world to keep you, my Valkyrie."


	28. The Enemy Of All

**Twenty Eight: The Enemy of All**

Trader Johann's very familiar ship, the _Yakmina_ , was found floating a mile or so off the coast of the Shivering Shores. She looked apparently undamaged-but there was no sign of the colourful shape of Johann on board or in the seas close by. With no evidence of violence and no signs of a struggle, the ship was towed into the main harbour and the Chief sent word to all the surrounding Tribes. The Dragon Riders of Berk obligingly sent out patrols to look for the missing Trader, but unfortunately came up dry. Presumed lost, the Chief kept Johann's ship for a year and a day in case he returned, but after that day, he sold the vessel and the goods and used the money for the public good.

The disappearance and presumed death of Trader Johann was talked about for a while among the Vikings of the Archipelago, but as time passed and other Traders adopted his routes, he was finally forgotten.

oOo

Life on Berk was strange as Astrid tried to readjust once more to being among her family and Tribe. Her parents had been overjoyed, silently hugging their daughter and welcoming her back without any admonishment-though the worry in their eyes was chastisement enough for the errant daughter. The other Riders were welcomed as heroes and they settled back into their old roles-though all were restless, staring at the horizon far more than they had previously. All volunteered for long patrols and any sort of mission off Berk-because they were used to no longer being restricted by its constraints.

Still hyper alert, there had been a few incidents when people had sneaked up on Astrid or approached without warning, trying to pat her on the shoulder and greet her. All had been understanding about their bruises and-in one case-the broken wrist but the people of Berk soon learned to announce themselves to Astrid before they approached the serious and always-alert warrior. The Berk Guard had asked her if she wanted to rejoin them-but she had demurred, reminding them that she needed to check with her Betrothed and readjust before she committed to anything.

She remained close to Hiccup at all times, watching him with an unsettling intensity and sitting by him as he recuperated and tried to build up his stamina working in the forge. When he wanted, they sparred and she never pointed out any deficiency of his technique or stamina, merely silently wrapping her hand around his as his grip faltered and brushing a kiss on his cheek. And he knew that he was steadily improving, every muscle worked hard by Astrid as she quietly and determinedly set about repairing him. He never minded her presence, always seeking for her whenever he left the house and finding her waiting. Gobber went as far as making sure there was a special 'Astrid chair' ready whenever Hiccup came to help out because he knew she would be there, gently tidying or just talking to her beloved.

Stoick and the Council had requested a report from her on her actions because they needed to assess the risks of her actions to the Tribe. Everyone there had sat silently as she honestly detailed her adventures, how she had ruthlessly and methodically destroyed the Hunter organisation of Viggo Grimborn, how she had annihilated his Tribe and erased them from existence-though she had spared the weak and infirm-and how she had killed Krogan without hesitation. Finally, she recounted her encounter with Johann and how she had warned Berk and then run, knowing the Bounty Hunters would be on her tail. And finally, she reported how she and Hiccup had devised the plan to end Johann once and for all.

Stoick had sat back in surprise at her actions and blown his cheeks out. The young woman facing him, a slender and beautiful Valkyrie, had done more than a host of seasoned warriors. And while her actions had primarily been against the Dragon Hunters and those who had kidnapped his son and abused him so terribly, then planned for him to die, the destruction of the Hunter Tribe would be the sticking point. And he knew why she did it-it was an action of astonishing ruthlessness and determination in order to protect Hiccup from ever being claimed as a slave by anyone of that clan-but it was not a justification that he could share with anyone without betraying Hiccup's shame. And Dagur's words rolled round his head, now more than ever.

_What will you do, Stoick, if the Council of Chiefs asks you to stop Astrid? What will you do if they ask you to kill her for taking the vengeance that I know we all crave? Will you risk isolation or war for one vengeful Rider?_

"A Chief protects his own," he murmured under his breath. "The problem is-which of my own take precedence? My future daughter-in-law and son, who fight for dragons…or my people, who may be harmed by the consequences of our Tribe being ostracised by others?"

oOo

"Milady? Are you here?" Hiccup's voice quietly echoed round the sea stack, seeing the shape sitting with her legs dangling over the edge, the wind lifting strands of her flaxen hair around her pensive face. She looked up and he was shocked to see her eyes swimming with tears, deep shadows clustered under the desolate azure gaze. Immediately, he rushed forward as Toothless settled by the worried Stormfly. Taking her hand, he sat beside her, feeling her lean against him, resting her head on his shoulder. "What's wrong?"

"I see them," she whispered. "The people I killed. The men who were only doing their jobs. Men who went to work to provide for their families. Men who didn't understand how amazing dragons are and just hunted them to put food on the table. Men I killed without a thought." Protectively, he wrapped his arm around her and held her close, feeling her tremble.

"Men who have tried to kill us on numerous occasions," he reminded her. "Men who set traps for us, who captured Stormfly and left you to die in the ocean. Men who helped attack the Edge and tried to annihilate us. Men who captured us all. Men who helped Krogan and Viggo torture me and tried to kill me. Men who helped blockade Berk and starve our people. Men who supplied dragon fights and markets, who attacked the Defenders of the Wing and tried to depose Dagur. Men who had no thoughts about the evil they did, just to increase their profits."

"They were people," she whispered. "They had wives and children."

"That you spared," he said gently, lifting her chin.

"Only because you would have," she admitted.

"But you spared them," he told her stubbornly. "Viggo didn't care about the old and women and children of Berk. He was happy to let them starve and suffer. You ended their village but you gave them their lives. It was more than they would have given any of us."

"But…"

"Astrid-we all do things we're not proud of," he sighed. "I killed the Red Death. And it was necessary-but I did it. I shot Toothless down. I maimed him and took his flight away. And then, when I found him, I didn't kill him. No, instead I cut him free. He spared me when he should have killed me. I lied to dad. I lied to you. I lied to everyone. And when I befriended Dagur, I lied to you all as well. If I had been more forceful, he wouldn't have had to go and almost get himself killed. I lied and ran away to the Isle of Night, causing you to have to come and rescue us. And I don't want to be Chief, Astrid. I want to remain and Rider and an explorer. And I can never tell Dad that."

"Hiccup-I'm pretty sure he knows-though he's as stubborn as you and isn't going to give up in trying to train your for the role," she sighed. "And you did things you thought were right at the time."

"So did you," he insisted, staring into her eyes. "You ended the War with the Hunters. You did that. I had been trying for months and months and failed-but you succeeded. All on your own. I mean, how does that make me look? I think I should change my name to Hiccup Hofferson when I marry you…" She chuckled and leaned forward to kiss him.

"Shame. I was looking forward to becoming a Haddock," she told him.

"Okay," he conceded as she kissed him again. "I'll do whatever what you want. As long as we are together." Her fingers slid between his, curling to remind him that she was going nowhere.

"I'm not running again," she said and then she sighed. "That person, the one who went on the rampage against the Hunters and the people who had hurt you…she was like another person. I was so hurt and angry and afraid…it was like poison, a fever that took me over. And when I was there, everything just made sense. There was no room for mercy, for sympathy, for anything but striking first and striking last. Because if I hadn't…I would have been dead. And they would have won…"

"Astrid…" But she pressed a finger to his lips.

"I have been thinking about it since I came back," she explained, her frown furrowing as the breeze gusted and she shivered. He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her closer. "And I was grieving. I was afraid and angry and didn't want to accept it. I think I thought, at some level, that if I killed them all, if I kept destroying our enemies, then it couldn't be true. That we couldn't win and lose at the same time. And when I saw you, alive, I felt such shame that I had become a monster, person that you would be ashamed to know." Hiccup gave a wry smile.

"Well, my father was almost called Stoick the Vindictive and one of my closest friends is Dagur the Deranged, who tried to destroy Berk and me more times than I care to recall," he reminded her. "Alvin the Treacherous is our ally despite him trying to attack us for over twenty years. Not to mention Heather who lied and betrayed us when we first met her. I know plenty of people who have made mistakes in their past. Thor, I have made so many myself. But you saved Berk when it needed you most. We were losing against Viggo and his Hunters, against the Fliers until you came in and turned the tide. Your tactics were what we needed to save the entire Tribe. And you came back. Milady…my love…I am never ashamed of a second I spend with you. I am proud to know you-and proud that you are my friend and my Betrothed…"

"And I couldn't be prouder to be your Betrothed," Astrid said…and then her face fell. "But will the people even accept me after what I have done?"

"If the wedding had mead and food, they'd accept me marrying a bad-tempered Changewing," he told her wisely as she frowned.

"Are you comparing me to an ill-tempered acid-spitting chameleonic dragon?" she asked him dangerously. He gulped.

"No? Not at all. No sirree. Because that would be a quick way of ending up axed to small pieces…" he said quickly as she suddenly grinned.

"Far too easy to tease, Babe," she told him as he exhaled in relief.

"And I live to fight another day," he sighed. "Should we go back?"

"Can we stay here a little longer?" she asked, looking back out to sea. "The sun is setting and I always think back to that sunset where you finally admitted what you feel."

"I said I wanted it to be perfect," he recalled. She smiled.

"And I said I thought it looked pretty perfect," she reminded him, looking back to the westering sun, the sky a golden orange, the huge disc dipping halfway below the horizon. A few clouds were edged with gold and orange and purple as the sky overhead and behind them already started to fade to a deep blue. He leaned towards her.

"For old time's sake," he mumbled and lifted a hand to gently rest against her cheek as she leaned in as well.

"My Hiccup," she whispered as their lips met. Deaf to the roars of their dragons and blind to the beauty of the sky, the pair remained locked together until long after the sun had vanished and night enfolded the little sea stack. Nuzzling against her gently, Hiccup sighed.

"Time to go home," he breathed. She nodded.

"Your Dad will think I have kidnapped you," she murmured.

"I wouldn't mind," he told her. "But then he would send Snot and the twins after us and we would never hear the end of it." She chuckled.

"Maybe it's safer to go home," she concluded. He nodded and rose stiffly to his feet, still holding her hand.

"You know…whenever you are ready, Milady, I will make you my wife," he said quietly as her eyes widened.

"Wow, I must have really gotten better at kissing," she quipped. He looked away, dipping his head and she felt a pang of shame at the joke, for she had known that Hiccup was a man of his word and had dreamed of marrying her since he was much younger. Just as he knew she was always the one more skittish about taking the final step, fearing it would lose her the identity she had worked so hard to forge But for a second, she felt a pang of guilt that maybe, he imagined she never wanted to go through with the ceremony…because she did. So she smiled and squeezed his hand to reassure him. "I know we're not ready yet…but yes, Hiccup-when the moment is perfect, we will marry."

oOo

Arriving back on Berk, the pair found Gobber and Stoick waiting for them, along with Spitelout and Astrid's father, Arvid. The two young Vikings circled the Plaza, seeing the serious expressions on the men's faces. Sharing a concerned look, the pair landed Toothless and Stormfly right in front of the Chief.

"Son! Astrid! We've been waiting for you!" the Chief boomed. "Where have you been?"

"Wow, Dad-awkward much!" he said dryly. "My Betrothed and I have been having a little talk on that sea stack round the coast from Thot's Beach and watching the sun set…"

"As long as talking is all you've been up to," Arvid grumbled, causing Astrid to roll her eyes.

"Dad! Hiccup is s perfect gentleman," she told him. "We only kissed…"

"You know, a real man would have tried a bit more than that," Arvid retorted.

"I have an axe and can beat anyone who tries to take advantage," she reminded her father as he sighed.

"That's my daughter," he sighed.

"Dad-what's wrong?" Hiccup asked directly. "Not that I don't appreciate a welcoming committee of scary-looking Vikings and I know you worry I may drop dead at any minute…but I know something is wrong. That's your 'I'm about to tell Hiccup some terrible news he won't like and then I'm going to have to yell at him' face."

"I have one those faces?" Stoick asked in surprise.

"Yeah, actually yeh do," Gobber piped up, scratching his chin with his hook. "Looks just like that one, in fact."

"I thought this was my 'stern but professional and imposing' face," Stoick replied.

"Nope, that's yer 'telling Hiccup off' face," Gobber replied cheerfully.

"And this is my 'Hiccup is getting worried' face," the auburn-haired Viking cut in. "Gobber? What's going on?"

"Yeh Dad is better at explaining," the blacksmith said with uncharacteristic coyness. Astrid dismounted and walked to stand at Hiccup's side-and she saw the sorrow in her father's eyes.

"It's about me, isn't it?" she guessed as her father nodded.

"The Chief received a formal communication from the Council of Chiefs," Arvid explained.

"The council of Chiefs have expressed their concern about the actions of one of the Berk dragon Riders," Stoick reported. "They are concerned that we may use dragons against anyone who is our enemy."

"Which is a possibility," Gobber added.

"So they have demanded that the Rider is brought before them for judgement," Stoick announced.

"Dad-no…" Hiccup breathed. "Astrid did it for me. She saved the Tribe. She stopped the Hunters. She made us safe. I'm not letting them blame her for doing what we were trying to do. If not her, then the Riders would have stopped them."

"She wiped out a Tribe!" Spitelout pointed out.

"They tried to starve the Hooligans to death," Gobber retorted.

"It doesn't matter what the rights and wrongs are," Stoick told his son sharply.

"It should," Hiccup told him spiritedly.

"…because if we don't at least go and face them, Berk will be isolated…if not declared Outcast," Stoick told him sternly.

"Hey-we can cope…" Hiccup began.

"No-we can't!" Stoick shouted.

"Told you," Hiccup mouthed.

"Berk has been damaged by the Hunter attack and though we are mostly repaired, we still need supplies," the Chief said sharply. "And a Chief protects his own."

"No-the saying you should quote, Dad is that the needs the many outweigh the needs of the few," Hiccup said bitterly. "That's what you told me when there were Bounty Hunters on my tail. That's what you should have said when I was poisoned. But Astrid believed the needs of the one-of one you love-outweigh everything else. So she tore the Archipelago apart to repay those who had killed me."

"And I would have done the same," Stoick mumbled into his beard.

"And what do they want from me?" Astrid asked, her grip on Hiccup's hand tightening. "Because I cannot give up Stormfly. She's my girl, my best and most loyal protector. And it wasn't her fault-she did what I asked her. And I would do it again-for Hiccup. I love him."

"They may outcast you," Arvid said in a broken voice.

"Aye-or they may just kill you," Spitelout added.

"I won't allow that," Stoick promised. "I'll talk to my allies-and yours. Alvin and Dagur will stand by me…"

"But many won't," Arvid guessed. "Because none of them will want a precedent to be set…" Hiccup stood shoulder to shoulder with Astrid and faced his seniors boldly, absolute determination in his emerald eyes.

"I will stand by her," he said. "I will fight for her-because she fought for me. We're all going to meet the Chiefs."

"Thor help them, facing Stoick and you," Gobber commented. "Stubborn as rocks, the pair of you. I'll pack my good skivvies." Arvid looked up.

"And I'm coming as well," he said. "You are my daughter and I am proud of the warrior, of the woman you have become…" Astrid walked forward into his arms and felt him hug her tightly. "This time, we all face it together…"


	29. A Daughter of Berk

**Twenty Nine: A Daughter of Berk**

Knobbly Butt was the improbably named seat of the Council of Chiefs, the nominal centre of the Archipelago. Taking over from Frost Isle, the island was a neutral venue for Chief Meetings, Things and Treaty negotiations-and was the only place that could be used for Astrid's trial. There were guest houses, a Council chamber and an archive that contained almost nothing because all the Tribes preferred to keep their own records now.

The Dragon Riders landed an hour before dusk, hailing the guards in the colours of the Meathead Tribe, who had called the Council and so had to act as hosts for the meeting. Chief Mogadon of Meathead, an old rival of Stoick, had called the Council and his men were pointedly keeping their spears on hand, though not actually pointing at the dragons because that would be an open act of aggression against everything the Council had agreed over the previous four years since the end of the Dragon war.

"Where are our lodgings?" Stoick demanded, pulling himself up to his full six foot ten and glaring at the hapless guard, his favourite axe clamped in his hand. The guard wilted a little and gestured to two houses at the end of the settlement.

"Over-over there, Chief," he stammered. Curtly, Stoick nodded.

"Good," he growled, looking over to the Rumblehorn beside him. "I hope you've got the stables ready-because this fella doesn't like having to rough it…"

"I-I'll go and check!" the guard squeaked and sprinted off. Hiccup and Astrid dismounted as the other Riders landed.

"Well, this sucks," Snotlout grumbled.

"Have you seen how they are looking at Astrid-and sort of at Ruffnut because they aren't quite sure which one is Astrid?" Fishlegs asked. The blonde gave a small shrug, rubbing her arm. It was extremely uncomfortable having people stare at her as if she was a criminal, whispering and pointing at her like a freak. Hiccup stood protectively at her side.

"I'm here, Milady," he whispered.

"You shouldn't need to be," she replied.

"And I wouldn't be here if you hadn't been Astrid," he reminded her. "Because they wouldn't have gone. You wouldn't have done what needed to be done to save Berk and me. Viggo would never have let me live…"

Toothless warbled pointedly.

"Okay, bud-I know you prevented Johann killing me, probably more than once," he added quickly. "Okay-but here and now, I am with the people I care for most. And who care the most for me. I know my Dad will not allow anything to happen to you, Astrid." His hand gently closed on hers. Her fingers slid between his.

"Okay, Babe," she sighed. "Now should we go stable the dragons? It's been a long flight and I know we need to be ready for whatever happens…" He nodded.

"Let's go," he said and turned to walk towards the furthest houses. But as they walked along the gravelled path, the whispers floated up.

"…heard she killed hundreds…"

"…brought down an armada on her own…"

"…fought with the strength of ten men…"

"…wiped out entire Tribes…"

"…grown men cowering for their lives…"

"…truly a Dark Valkyrie…"

"They're wrong," Ruff commented."You're a blonde Valkyrie, not a dark one."

"I believe, sister Nut, that the rather unhygienic individual was referring the the perceived alignment of her action, not the hue of her hair…" Tuff put in using a lecturing voice. His sister punched him. "OW! I am VERY much hurt…" he protested as Astrid shook her head.

"I guess they have already made up their minds," she sighed but Hiccup stopped and faced her.

"Astrid-we'll change their minds," he said. "I changed out entire Tribe's minds about dragons…"

"…except Mildew…" Astrid put in. He sighed.

"Ok, apart from Mildew," he conceded. "And we will change their minds about you…" But she looked over the suspicious eyes and the huddles of men who were watching them with open hostility."

"Hiccup-you may need to make a decision about what is more important, Berk and the dragons…or me…" she told him.

"You already know the answer," he murmured. She sighed.

"Babe-I think…this will be political, rather than based on facts," she murmured. He quirked a small smile.

"They haven't met me," he reminded her. "I fought a dragon the size of a mountain, risked my life to save dragons and never gave up on you. No matter how hard they try, no one has more stubbornness issues than me!"

oOo

Stoick the Vast rolled the mug in his hands, slurping the malty brew and savouring the taste. Say what you wanted to about the Meatheads-and Stoick and Gobber both shared a number of fairly uncomplimentary views about the other Tribe-they did brew excellent beer.

He sighed. While the others had been settling in and seeing to the dragons, Stoick had been catching up with his allies. Dagur and Alvin had been blunt as ever, explaining exactly the way the wind was blowing.

_"_ _Old Mogadon 'as been agitatin' ever since Astrid went on 'er rampage," Alvin had warned him. "The moment word started getting round of a renegade rider, 'e went on the charge."_

_"_ _Astrid's trail of revenge-not that it wasn't awesome and incredibly impressive, worthy of a Berserker in fact-woke a lot of people up to the fact that one person on a dragon can do an immense amount of damage on their own," Dagur told him._

_"_ _It got a lot of 'em thinking, Stoick," Alvin continued. "I mean, I ride a dragon. So does Dagur and Heather. We respect the dragons…but them Tribes what don't ride 'em are still in the mindset that they're ravening beasts. And Astrid didn't do nothin' to dispel that."_

_"_ _I think more of them than we realised had dealings with the Hunter Tribe-and their deposed Chief made a strong representation to the Council of Chiefs," Dagur added._

_"'_ _E were asking for 'er 'ead," Alvin agreed. "And if one o' my men went off without me permission and caused the kind of chaos she did, I would have already taken it."_

_There was a pause._

_"_ _It wasn't without my permission," Stoick said in a low voice. "She was avenging my son and Heir, who had been tortured, poisoned and left to die. Viggo's fliers were systematically destroying the elements of the cure we needed to give Hiccup a chance. They attacked Berk to kill him when their ally, Johann, told them that he had managed to survive because his friends are the most stubborn bone-headed crazy bunch out there."_

_"_ _But even so, it was just a warrior avenging your son," Alvin murmured. "And that ain't enough. It it were you, they couldn't say a thing. Blood debt, yer see. But for Astrid…"_

_"_ _She is his Betrothed," Stoick reminded them. Dagur sighed._

_"_ _It's not enough. Not for this…" he said._

_"_ _She isn't blood…yet…" Bertha added. The Bog Burglar Chieftess was an impressive woman, almost the equal of Stoick and Alvin in size with piercing blue eyes, functionally braided blonde hair and the most impressive chest that had earned her the moniker 'Big Boobied Bertha'. Though usually not to her face. "And though I support what she did, there are other tribes, those perhaps historically less allied to Berk, who fear that this could set a precedent."_

_"_ _You mean I would send my Riders to annihilate the Murderous if Madguts ate the last yak chop at the Chief Meeting when I wanted it?" Stoick asked wryly._

_"_ _I mean, those Tribes who were all as strong as Berk are now feeling at a tactical disadvantage. And they fear that you could eye conquest, brought on the wings of dragons," Bertha told hims seriously._

_"_ _That was actually Viggo and his allies," Stoick growled. "The Tribe who were ended defied the Chief Meeting ruling, continued to hunt dragons and attacked my son and my island."_

_"_ _And they were a Tribe," Bertha insisted._

_"_ _They were our enemies and Hiccup and his friends only tried to stop their hunting activities and protect dragons," Dagur added. "But Krogan and Viggo wanted to annihilate the Riders. And they were after something called 'the King of Dragons', a beast that could control them all."_

_"_ _Thereby posing even more of a threat," Bertha said. Stoick's brows dipped. "I'm not against you, Stoick!" she told him firmly. "But I have heard these idiots spouting their concerns over and over. And as a Tribe without dragons, you have to understand that they have a legitimate concern. The balance of power has shifted."_

_"_ _And I am not a warlike man," Stoick protested._

_"_ _Stoick the Vindictive? Not warlike?" Alvin teased him dryly._

_"_ _I learned my lessons," Stoick told him firmly. "A Chief protects his own. Berk is all I want. Berk, my son, my people safe and warm and fed. Conquest risks all. And Hiccup is an explorer, a man who has learned the lessons of protection well. He's a fine leader-but he is a peacemaker."_

_"_ _Astrid isn't," Dagur commented. "And she will be his general."_

_"_ _And she loves dragons," Stoick reminded him. "They will protect dragons, not risk them. And she loves Hiccup. She was devastated when she thought she had lost him."_

_"_ _How will he feel if he loses her?" Alvin asked quietly. "Because I 'ave an 'orrible feeling that is what Mogadon and his friends will want…"_

Stoick blinked and rested his mug down. The conversation had been disturbing because the implications were that the outcome had already been decided, before the Council ever met or the discussion and evidence was heard. And a treacherous part of him wondered what Johann and the former Hunter Chief had given to them to persuade them to make an enemy of Stoick. Because it would. Implacably. Killing Astrid or exiling her and breaking his son's heart would earn them the undying enmity of Stoick the Vindictive.

A hoarse squawk broke his train of thought and he looked up as a green and red Terrible Terror flapped in through the window, a familiar brown marking on his wing marking him as one of Gothi's that he knew was called 'Splodge'. The dragon gave a weary flap and landed in a heap on the table in front of Stoick, breathing hard. Wearily, it stuck out a leg, which had a roll of parchment tied to it-along with a much bulkier package. Automatically, the Chief rose, found a couple of fish and rested them by the exhausted dragon, then opened the scroll.

He frowned. The top line was in wobbly runes, reading 'GET GOBBER TO READ THIS' and then there was a long paragraph of Gothi's unique pictograms. And then he unfastened the package and the relieved dragon began to eat its meal as he unwrapped the package. His eyes widened and then he rose abruptly, grabbing the letter, the parcel and his beer and headed off to wake Gobber. This was urgent enough that Gothi had sent Splodge to meet him now-so it was urgent enough to act on immediately.

He suspected Astrid's life may be in the balance.

oOo

Gobber was less than enthusiastic as Stoick roughly shook him awake. In fact, the Chief was astonished that his friend was capable of producing such an impressing string of expletives while in fact technically still asleep. After a few moments of fruitless cussing, Stoick had resorted to hitting the two-limbed ornery blacksmith over the head with his own hook. Finally, Gobber had opened his blue eyes, looking up with irritation.

"Get up, Gobber!" the Chief told him sharply before another bout of cussing started. "I've had a Terror from Gothi and I need you to read it. Now!" Grumbling, Gobber grabbed his hook back and fitted it back on his stump before levering his heavy body up.

"I dinner see why the old bag canna write properly like normal people," he grumbled. Stoick sighed.

"She's the Elder," he conceded. "And she is connected to the Spirits. So I need you to read this!" And he thrust the parchment in front of Gobber. Blinking, Gobber's unibrow dipped as he scanned the words.

"She's still mumbling," he muttered. "And she doesn't mek herself clear…what?"

"What what?" Stoick asked as his friend looked up.

"Have you seen this?" he asked. The Chief rolled his eyes.

"Gobber-you know I can't read her writing," he reminded his friend. Gobber scowled until Stoick handed him the mug of beer. Swiftly, he drained the mug and then sighed.

"She says she had a vision and that you and I have to do exactly what she says," he read. "She also said not to allow Gobber a second mug of beer until I explained what the plan was. How does she know?"

"Probably the chicken feet or goose entrails," Stoick commented.

"Or she knows I like Meathead beer," Gobber added sagely.

"Or ale. Or mead. Or anything you imagine is an intoxicant…" Stoick muttered. Gobber sighed.

"Look, Gothi is verra specific," Gobber said sternly. "I'll get Astrid and her father while you fetch Hiccup and get him to the stables. You have to do exactly what she says. And don't tell the boy." Stoick sighed.

"You know, sometimes I wonder why we always do what Gothi says," he murmured.

"Because she'll know if we don't," Gobber said with a grimace. "Go get Hiccup."

Stoick gave a humph and headed off, finding-as expected-his son curled up in the enclosing wings of the Night Fury, draped over a front paw and lying on his face. Toothless cracked an eye a slit and lifted his wing to display the young Viking with a soft coo. Leather armour creaking, the Chief dropped to a knee and stretched out a gentle hand. Toothless gave a little rumble.

"It's all right, dragon," Stoick reassured him. "I need to wake him. Gothi has a plan to help…" Giving a coo, the dragon closed his eyes as the Chief gently shook his son's shoulder. Blearily, Hiccup opened his eyes and raised his head, his head sticking up all around his head.

"D-dad?" he asked hoarsely. "What's wrong?" His eyes darted to see Toothless sleeping peacefully. "Is Astrid alright? And…" Tightening his hand gently on his son's shoulder, Stoick smiled.

"It's okay, son," he reassured his Heir with a confidence he didn't feel. "Gothi has sent a Terror with urgent instructions." His mind flew back to the words Gobber had mumbled under his breath as he had read through-and confirmed as he had given the instructions to his Chief. Blinking and yawning, Hiccup got to his knees and gave a stretch, then fluidly fitted his prosthetic and slowly got to his feet, wincing as he put pressure through his stump. Watching the practiced motions, Stoick was reminded that he never got to see his son first thing-not since the boy was a very small child-and seeing Hiccup gradually wake up gave him a pang of nostalgia that reminded him how close he had got to losing his son.

"What instructions?" Hiccup asked, his eyes focussed and a small smile lifting his lips as he looked at his daydreaming father. Stoick blinked, surprised that the boy was awake suddenly and reminded that this was a young man who was effectively a Chief on his own outpost and leader of a war against Viggo and his Hunters. Stoick rested his hands on his son's shoulders, staring into the bright green eyes with as much gravity she could manage.

"Son-do you love Astrid?" he asked and Hiccup nodded without hesitation.

"Yes, Dad," he said honestly.

"Would you do anything for her?" Stoick checked and felt his stomach tighten as he saw Hiccup immediately nod.

"Without hesitation," the younger man said. "I love her with my everything. She's been the owner of my heart for as long as I can remember-and I hope she always will be. I will never give up on her. And I won't let the Chiefs harm her."

"Then you must do exactly as Gothi says," Stoick told him sternly.

"Why?" Hiccup asked.

"Because she's Gothi," Stoick told him simply. "You remember when Spitelout didn't do as she told him and she cursed him?"

"He thought he was a chicken for a day," Hiccup recalled. "I think you had to rescue him off the roof of the Bakery where he was trying to roost."

"She'd make you think you were a Terrible Terror and we'd have to rescue you off the cliffs!" Stoick told him. "If you love Astrid, you will do as I say and follow Gothi's instructions to the letter." Hiccup ran his hands through his hair, unsuccessfully trying to make it lie down flatter.

"Okay," he said determinedly. "Anything for her-because she did everything for me." Then he looked at the dozing dragon. "Come on, bud. I think I need you." Making a very convincing grumbling noise, Toothless opened his eyes and sprang up, though he kept his eyes locked on his Rider, recalling what had happened the last time he let Hiccup out of his sight.

When they arrived in the stables, the other dragons were drowsy but they all looked up as Toothless and Hiccup came in, warbling and crooning greetings as Stoick lit the torches. Shuffling his feet and idly rubbing Toothless's head, Hiccup looked around.

"Um…you gonna give me a clue what's going on, Dad?" he asked self-consciously, fiddling with the straps on his leather tunic.

"Son, I think it's best to wait until Gobber gets here," Stoick told him. "Because he has Gothi's instruction…"

"You know I can read her pictograms as well," Hiccup reminded his father. Eyes widening, Stoick momentarily looked non pulled: he had forgotten. But Gothi's orders had been specific.

"And she asked for Gobber," Stoick told him. "She clearly has a plan…" He paused as the door opened and Gobber hobbled in, arguing with Arvid Hofferson.

"But you must be able to tell me…" the tall blond man countered. Gobber scowled at him.

"What part of 'the Chief will explain' did ye nae understand?" he growled.

"The reason why you can't," Arvid countered. "As his right hook man…"

"I never said that!" Gobber hastily cut in, looking guiltily up at the Chief. Arvid humphed.

"Well, the talk down the docks is…"

"All nonsense…" Gobber hissed, making a frantic shushing gesture. Astrid entered, finishing tying her braid and flicking it over her left shoulder. Unable to help himself, Hiccup gave a small smile. He had seen 'just woken up' Astrid enough times to know that her hair went crazy overnight and she needed serious maintenance to get her looking like her normal self once more. Though of course, to his eyes, she was always beautiful-and never moreso than now, as she stood respectfully in front of his father, her big blue eyes wide and alert.

"What can we do for you, Chief?" she asked, cutting across the argument. Stoick sighed.

"Gobber?" he prompted his friend.

"You said you didn't know!" Arvid accused him.

"Dad!" Astrid hissed, her tone reminding the man of the reason why they were all gathered on the island.

"Astrid-do you care for Hiccup?" Gobber asked sternly. To her credit, she looked shocked rather than scowling at the obvious question.

"More than anything," she said honestly.

"Do you love him?"

She looked over at Hiccup and he saw uncertainty in her eyes. His heart sank but her voice was completely sincere.

"With all my heart," she announced. "Why-why are you asking me this, Gobber?"

"What would you do for Hiccup?" Gobber asked her, ignoring the question. She lifted her chin proudly.

"Anything," she said. "Everything."

"Would you kill for him?"

"Yes. I have on many occasions," she replied, though her voice grew softer. Hiccup saw the tension in her shoulders and moved forward, reaching his hand out to gently touch hers. He saw her exhale at the contact.

"Would you die for him?" Gobber pressed on.

"Without hesitation," she responded instantly.

"Though I would rather you didn't," Hiccup murmured.

"And what would you sacrifice for him?" Gobber asked. Astrid swallowed and her gaze flicked over the Hiccup. She moved her hand away from his.

"I understand," she said softly. "I know it's over. I know I cannot stay with him because it will threaten Berk and endanger the dragons…"

"Answer the question, lass," Gobber said gently. She sighed.

"Everything…except Stormfly," she said with a sigh.

"And son-do you care for Astrid?" Stoick asked Hiccup, seeing his expression grow concerned. Immediately, he nodded.

"With everything I am and everything I own," he said intensely. "I love her. And there is no one else on Midgard who owns my heart-or ever will."

"What would you do for her?" the Chief asked.

"Anything. Everything," he said, looking over at her. She took a deep breath, her eyes shining.

"Would you kill for her, son?" Stoick asked. He nodded.

"Yes."

"Would you die for her?"

"In a heartbeat."

"And what would you sacrifice for her?" Hiccup took a deep breath.

"Everything…except Toothless," he said steadily, dropping a hand automatically to rub the Night Fury who nudged him gently at the words. "Sorry, Dad." The Chief sighed.

"Hiccup-you don't have to give up your home and your birthright," Astrid murmured. "I knew what I was risking. The Chiefs want to exile me or kill me as a renegade and as a statement that they will not tolerate a threat from a rogue Dragon Rider."

"And then I will come with you," he said softly, taking her hands. "Astrid, I love you. You were all I clung to, as I fought for my life and tried to escape from the nightmare I was trapped in. And finding you, being with you was all I wanted. Not home. Not being the Chief. I can give those up-but I cannot give you up. And I will do whatever has to be done to protect you." She blinked, her eyes shining as he gently raised her hands to his lips, feathering the lightest kiss on her skin.

"I can't ask you to…" she said but he shook his head, staring into her eyes.

"Astrid, if what happen to me befell you, I would tear the Archipelago apart to avenge you and ensure that those responsible never threatened anyone again," he said with absolute sincerity. "I know why you did what you did. And you returned when Berk needed you most, when _I_ needed you most. I will never give up on you."

"You are the most boneheaded stubborn son of a Viking Chief I ever met," she told him. "But in the end, it may not be enough."

"Hofferson-stand by your daughter," Stoick commanded and fished out the object that Splodge had delivered. It was a long strip of fabric, woven with gold and with rather wobbly runes in gold thread embroidered on the edge. There was a bite taken out of the object halfway along that was old and frayed, clearly a product of a dragon during the War, not one of Gothi's small flock of Terrors. Hiccup's eyes widened.

"Dad?" he breathed as the Chief wound the cloth around their hands.

"Son, I told you that this was what Gothi saw must happen," Stoick said as Astrid looked and him and then turned eyes eyes back on the auburn-haired Viking. Hiccup's eyes widened.

"You-you don't have to do this if you don't want," he said urgently to Astrid. She started, staring at him in surprise.

"What makes you think I don't?" she asked him. His shoulders sagged a little.

"I saw your expression, the look in your eyes and the uncertainty when Gobber asked you if you love me, And-and it's okay. I mean… you know what happened to me. And why would you want to love this?" He shrugged hopelessly. She ducked her head down so she could meet his downcast gaze.

"Babe-I said I loved you and I was being completely honest," she told him clearly. "I was uncertain because I was expecting the Chief to tell me that it was off, that I should have to sacrifice us to save Berk. It was what I was expecting."

"Except doing that would lose Berk its Heir and the Riders both their leader and their second-in-command," the Chief interjected. "I see now what Gothi understood. The sacrifice I ask is giving up your identity as Astrid Hofferson."

"What?"

"To save you, we have to ensure you are no longer the woman who tore through her enemies," Stoick explained. "Now keep looking into each other's eyes. You've done the vows already…"

"What?"

"Astrid-are you sure you want to do this? To marry?" Hiccup asked urgently. She smiled, her fingers lacing with hers.

"I agreed many moon cycles ago," she reminded him. "And I love you. How about you?"

"Me too. Well, I mean I love you, not me, but…yes…" Hiccup admitted with a slight smile. "And…um…yeah…"

"I cannot believe you're doing this without us!" a voice announced from he rafters. Toothless growled as the twins poked their heads from among the eaves. Tuff was scowling as he glared at the couple.

"What are you doing up there, guys?" Hiccup called.

"Well, Tuff was worried that Chicken would feel lonely roosting in an unfamiliar nest so he wanted to roost with her and I hate doing anything on my own so I tagged along…anyway, stop deflecting!" Ruff called down.

"And why is there no dress, no maids on honour and no Stag Party?" Tuff demanded.

"Gothi," Hiccup explained, his hands still clasped with Astrid's and wrapped in the sacred cloth. Sharing a nod, the pair flipped down to land agilely beside Arvid Hofferson, Chicken clasped tenderly in the male twin's arms. He yelped as he saw Skullcrusher and scooted sideways.

"Chicken loves a wedding," he explained. "But not near that chicken-murdering Rumblehorn. Don't think I didn't know why the Chief and Gobber tried to persuade me that those other chickens were my beauty!" Stoick and Gobber shared a shocked look, for neither had realised that Tuff even figured why they had produced the imposters. The twins took their helmets off and shuffled closer, big grins plastered all over their faces.

"Guys-please give us a little room," Hiccup pleaded. Scowling, Ruff shook her head but retreated almost a foot.

"Do they have to be here?" Arvid asked gruffly but both Hiccup and Astrid look scandalised.

"They may be unusual but they are our friends," Astrid said immediately

"Aw, thanks, A," Tuffnut said.

"Shut up, Tuff," the blonde warrior snapped.

"So mean," Ruff grumbled. "We could always just go and wake Snotlout," she threatened. Hiccup's eyes widened.

"No!" he yelped. "That is not fair for a man who's still recuperating…" The twins shut up then and plastered fixed smiles on their faces. Astrid smiled.

"I'll protect you and you protect me," she smiled. He grinned back, suddenly looking more relaxed. "No turning back."

"You said that the first day of Dragon training," he reminded her. She chuckled.

"I also said it was only fun if you got a scar out of it," she added.

"Yeah-but I didn't know that you mean I would be the one getting the scars!" he teased her gently.

"Oh, I have scars, Babe-just not where you can see them," she told him softly. "Scars on my heart. Scars on my soul."

"And they are there because of me," Hiccup breathed. "I love you, scars and all-especially if you can love this one-legged Fishbone. And I promise…I _promise_ …that I will spend the rest of my life healing those scars." She smiled.

"So cheesy, Hiccup," she admitted.

"And Odin's own truth," he said. "Ready?" She nodded. Stoick looked around the assembled witnesses, a smile on his face. His voice boomed around the stable as all the dragons surrounded the humans and especially the young couple who only had eyes for each other.

"Then before these witnesses and under the watchful eyes of the Aesir, I declare you husband and wife."


	30. At His Side

**Thirty: At his side.**

Hiccup awoke with Astrid in his arms, her head resting on his shoulder and a small damp patch of drool from where she had snuggled into him. They were both fully clothed, of course, because neither had thought it would be right to do…well, anything…especially with the Trial in only a few hours. However, Astrid had pointedly insisted that they go back to Hiccup's room together, knowing that Toothless would prevent any attempted voyeurism by the twins and allowing her to spend the time with her boyfriend…now husband. And try to work out what had happened.

Hiccup had lain awake with Astrid snuggled against him, exhausted but trying to process what had just taken place. He had seen the letter clamped in Gobber's hand and as they had conducted the ceremony, the two-limbed blacksmith had read the instructions very carefully. It was clear that the Elder had seen something that had worried her enough to drag them out of bed in the middle go the night and perform the ceremony immediately. And while Hiccup had dreamed about marrying Astrid for years-and had been secretly planning the odd part of the ceremony himself, since that wondrous night when she had finally said yes to the Betrothal, the fact it had happened so fast had left him feeling very slightly empty, almost as if he had been cheated by the secret ceremony. Mentally slapping himself, he tightened his arm slightly around the warm shape and Astrid burrowed further into his neck. He should be thanking the Gods that he had been given this opportunity when by every right, he should be dead. Or slaving in chains. Or crippled and blind. Yet here he was, curled on the hard bed in his lodgings, Astrid in his arms and wrapped in furs on what was technically his wedding night.

Stupidly, his face stretched in a huge grin. Wedding night! He couldn't lie that he hadn't considered the event…probably more times than he would want to admit to anyone. Especially Snotlout. Gods, never to Snotlout. And this was certainly not how he had ever imagined it. He and Astrid had snuggled up before, sleeping together-though never in _that_ way, because though Hiccup was young man, he was still an Heir and raised with duty to his Tribe and his station ringing in his ears-and it was oddly comforting to feel her gently breathing against him, her hair gradually falling out of the braid. Her warmth leeched into him and he felt comforted and safe. Of course, he always felt safe with Toothless but this was a different kind of safe, the safety of family and home and love.

Astrid twitched and he glanced towards the small window high in the wall. There was the definite golden brilliance of sunlight, leaking around the edges and through the gaps between the planks in the shutters. Dawn had come and it wouldn't be long before the Vikings were stirring and the preparations for the Trial would almost be over. And there, Astrid would have to defend what she had done, in the defence of Hiccup, of Berk and of the dragons. And he knew that those Tribes who had never embraced the friendship of dragons or who clung to the easier and more traditional position of seeing the reptiles as ravening beasts would try to crush her and use her actions as an excuse to place restrictions on those Tribes who had befriended dragons.

He grimaced and eased a cramp in his left leg. He didn't want to wake Astrid but he knew in his heart of hearts that they would be fighting for her life-and for their own freedom. Stoick had been quiet the previous evening and Hiccup guessed that the allies he had spoken with hadn't been that optimistic. Even the great Stoick the Vast may not be enough to swing the debate in their favour.

"Mmm…you awake, Babe?" a sleepy voice mumbled. He immediately inclined his head to look into two sleepy blue eyes and he felt his face stretch into a goofy smile.

"You got me," he said gently. "Morning, Mrs Haddock." She gave a slow smile.

"So it wasn't a crazy dream," she murmured and his face fell. He glanced away.

"No. Sorry," he said softly but her hand rose and gently tilted his head back to look at her.

"I didn't mean it like that, Hiccup," she said in a more serious voice. "I always wanted to marry you-and I thought I never would because you had died. And for it to happen so suddenly in the middle of the night seems like a wild dream. Were the twins actually there?"

Hiccup nodded.

"Definitely not a dream then," Astrid mumbled. "I would have dreamed Heather and Dagur being there. Not a different groom." She caught his expression. "Doofus! You are the only person I would ever imagine marrying!"

"But…"

She sat up and stared seriously into his green eyes, suddenly filled with self-doubt.

"You think I wanted a buff brainless Viking who can wave an axe like a god and wants to boss me around?" she asked him pointedly.

"I'm not sure that was the best question to ask," he pointed out, pushing himself upright to meet her eyes. She frowned, her nose wrinkling as she framed her argument.

"Hiccup-I know I am a proper Viking girl," she told him. "I am lethal with an axe-and most weapons, to be honest, I have a temper and I am direct and blunt in my speech. I would have become a Shield Maiden and never fallen in love because I despise usual Vikings who would imagine they could order me around and confine me to a home, cooking and cleaning and bearing children."

"Which would be suicide," Hiccup mumbled. "The cooking bit, I mean."

"Hiccup…" Astrid said warningly.

"Just pointing out that you managed to serve burnt and raw boar on the last time you insisted on taking your place on the cooking rota and rendered everyone ill with stomach upsets and intractable vomiting," Hiccup pointed out. "I think Snotout was moaning that Ragnarok was coming…and from the state of the latrines, it may have been…"

"Getting way off point, my love," she reminded him. "And then I met you. A guy who seemed to be clumsy and not terribly strong physically and more accident prone than I would have thought possible. But you were sarcastic and brave and always pushed on, no matter how hard or how often you were put down. And you trained a Night Fury, fought a dragon the size of a mountain, saved the village, coped with losing a leg, somehow forgave the village for treating you like nothing and became an amazing leader and rider. And you were kind, generous, compassionate. You ask, don't order. You can handle the twins and Snotlout most of the time. I know you respect me as well as love me. Not lust or desire…love."

"I can do those other things as well," he pointed out as she smiled.

"Later-when we get back home," she said and then her face fell. "Or not." He frowned and very carefully, he untied the leather cord around her braid. "What are you…?" she asked but he tutted.

"Shh…" he said, his fingers deftly unwinding the long golden strands and unleashing her hair. Smiling, he finger-combed it free. And then he gently ran his fingers through the long golden mass, framing her perplexed face and stretching all the way down to her mid-back when unbraided. "You know, I have always wanted to see it down…but I know that is supposed to only be a husband's privilege…" She found herself grinning at his focussed look as he gently teased it loose.

"Wow. Getting on with the husband privilege thing straight away," she teased him as he blushed.

"Um…not really…" he said in a self-conscious voice. "In one very big way, no…" She blushed as well.

"Hiccup!" she teased him as they both suddenly started laughing. And then she sunk her hands in his soft auburn hair and pulled him into a long and passionate kiss. His hands were in her hair, the kiss prolonged as long as they had air. And then she snuggled into his neck. "Love you," she murmured. "And I want to…but this may be the shortest marriage in history." He wrapped his arms around her.

"I am not allowing that to happen," he told her determinedly. "You are my Valkyrie, Astrid-and I won't let anything happen. You saved me…now it's my turn. A Chief protects his own-and the same goes for a husband. And I am both." He inhaled her scent deeply, his nose buried in her hair.

"My husband," she breathed as she smiled and pulled back, only to kiss her again.

"My Astrid."

oOo

The Great Hall was a wide and supposedly impressive space in a traditional wooden Viking House that seemed small and very disappointing after Berk's magnificent Hall. There was a set of tables arranged in a loose horse-shoe shape with the various Chiefs seated, each looking stern and ready for a fight. In the centre was Mogadon, the Meathead Chief and Host, who would preside over affairs. To his left were Madguts, Chief of the Murderous Tribe; Norbert the Nutjob, Chief of the Hysteric Tribe and Grabthroat the Grumpy, Chief of the Shivering Shores. To his right sat Alvin the Treacherous, Chief of the Outcasts, Big-Boobied Bertha, Chief of the Bog Burglar Tribe; Dagur the Deranged, Chief of the Berserkers and Stoick the Vast, the Chief of Berk. An audience of the Chiefs' armed guards, advisers. Heirs and ship crew were standing to the back of the Hall as the doors opened and Astrid entered with Hiccup at her side. The sleek black shape of Toothless followed them, with Gobber, Heather, Ruffnut, Tuffnut, Fishlegs, Snotlout and Arvid Hofferson. The Berkians stood to the other side of the Hall from the audience and stood back as Hiccup and Astrid faced the Council.

"We cannot allow the dragon to stay," Mogadon said roughly but Hiccup faced him with calm certainty.

"You tell him to go," he said quietly. "I'm not. He is my friend and my protector. And there have been too many cowardly attempts upon my life recently." The Chief opened his mouth but a low growl vibrated through Toothless and his pupils narrowed to slits, causing the Chief to sit back in his chair.

"He is your responsibility," he decided. "But any behaviour that violates the sanctity of this Council will be considered an Act of War." Hiccup lifted his chin.

"I will take that into consideration," he said without promising anything. Dagur leaned forward and looked at his friend, seeing the same determination and steel in the green eyes that he had faced many times before. Giving a small smile, he sat back, knowing those who faced Hiccup were in for a battle.

"Why are you standing here anyway, boy?" Grabthroat asked sarcastically. "I was under the impression we were here to try the girl Astrid Hofferson." Astrid lifted her chin proudly.

"My husband stands by my side," she announced.

There was a collective intake of breath, along with a couple of 'aww's and several exclamations.

"WHAT?"

"I cannot believe you got married without the Snotman!"

"When?"

"It was a lovely ceremony…"

"Shut up, Tuff!"

"What? You were there? How?"

"It was chicken's fault really…"

"SILENCE!" Mogadon leapt to his feet. "Husband?"

"That's what normally happens when a couple is betrothed," Hiccup told him sarcastically. The Chief turned puce with anger, his hands clenching into fists with a creak.

"But you can't just…" he spluttered.

"Where is that written?" Hiccup asked him pointedly. "I believe the original Viking Council says nothing about how lavishly a wedding has to be celebrated or how many have to be present-as long as there are two witnesses and a suitably qualified officiant. And as my father, Chief Stoick the Vast of Berk, is able to perform ceremonies and as my Godfather, Gobber the Belch and Astrid's father, Arvid Hofferson were there, along with Ruffnut and Tuffnut Thorston and several dragons, we more than qualify on the witness count."

"He's got you there," Bertha commented dryly. "And you can't even argue that the supporters there couldn't be counted as witnesses because they had two unrelated others, two friends there to witness the ceremony…" The twins high-fived and then subsided as Stoick glared at them.

"And since this Council seems to be deliberately set on attacking and threatening the life of my wife, it seemed prudent to ensure that we completed our marriage before you could kill her," Hiccup added in a hard voice. There was silence and they all stared at the tall, lean shape in the unique leather armour, a sword strapped to his hip and his bespoke prosthetic clicking slightly as he shifted his weight off his truncated leg. "I am Hiccup Horrendous Haddock the Third, the Heir to Berk and husband of Astrid Hofferson. I stand by her side before this Council and I will not let her be harmed." Blinking, Mogadon gathered himself.

"That won't be your decision, boy," Madguts sneered. The Chief of the Murderous Tribe fully lived up to the name of his Tribe, a man who could not be trusted and who was solely self-interested. It was said no one turned their back on a Murderous and even Alvin had commented dryly that the man was less trustworthy than he, Alvin the Treacherous, was.

"No-it will be all of ours," Dagur commented.

"Then proceed!" Alvin growled. "We ain't got all day."

"Actually we have," Gobber piped up.

"As long as we can break for lunch," Snotlout whined. "I mean breakfast was over an hour ago and when am I going to fit in my beauty sleep?"

"No one forced you to be here," Fishlegs pointed out.

"But that's my cuz and his…I can't believe I'm saying it…wife and they're our leaders and we know this is all a crock so…" Snotlout replied unselfconsciously.

"Astrid Hofferson Haddock…you are accused of attacking unarmed ships, of destroying a Tribe and of wreaking havoc and war upon innocents," Mogadon announced. Astrid's eyes widened.

"Is that where you're going?" she spluttered. "Then this will be over in five minutes. No one was innocent or unarmed. This was War-and not one we started."

"But your actions…" Mogodon cut in.

"Were those of a woman protecting her Betrothed and her Tribe," she said. Hiccup frowned and he nudged Astrid, pointing. She nodded.

"I think you have been lied to," he announced, his finger pointing at the lurking shape of Ulric Grimborn. The man was still wearing his salt and pepper beard, his dark blue tunic still looking fine and expensive and the resemblance to Viggo and Ryker was obvious. "That man, formerly the Chief of the now-defunct Dragon Hunter Tribe, has lied about what truly happened."

"You…" the man spat, walking forward. "My Tribe was destroyed. I signed the letter to the Council under duress…"

"You were given to choice to die with dishonour like the dog you are or be allowed to take the dregs of your tribe and leave," Astrid said angrily. "I see you're not disappointing on the dishonourable Grimborn name!"

"Maybe you should hear the truth of our dealings with the Dragon Hunters," Hiccup said coldly. The Chiefs stared at him.

"Go on, boy," Grabthroat sneered, sitting back and sipping a mug of ale.

"Why does he get a drink?" Snotlout moaned before Heather slapped him upside the head.

"We never sought them," Hiccup told the Council clearly. "Astrid was the first to encounter them-on an early morning flight from our base on the Edge. She found them on a nearby island, capturing dragons. She landed and sneaked up to try to release the poor beasts-and Ryker sniffed her dragon out. They fled but he shot her down, capturing her Deadly Nadder, Stormfly, and leaving her to die in the open ocean. She clung onto some debris until I could find her, in a storm, just as her strength failed. _They_ did that-leaving a young woman to die. _They_ were the aggressors, not Astrid. We tried to reclaim our dragon and many of us were caught-and we found Dagur, who was at that time our enemy, was working with the Hunters. They interrogated Astrid as the leader of the rider-since Snotlout and I were the only ones not captive. They tortured her. She never spoke of it but I have seen the scars. And I have heard the nightmares." There was silence and Astrid stared at him in shock: she had prayed he would not know.

"Hiccup…" she whispered but his hand found hers and he squeezed reassuringly.

"I know," he murmured. "Just as I knew you would come for me." Then he looked at the Council. "We managed to rescue our dragons and our friends but with Dagur-who had an implacable hatred of me-on their side, there was never going to be peace. So we battled. Dagur and the Hunters laid traps, they attacked our base. They even attacked Berk in an unprecedented attack that killed twelve Berkians and just missed Astrid's parents. They recaptured the DragonEye, a tool they would use to threaten and capture every single dragon. As Riders and friends of dragons, we could not allow that. I could not allow that."

"So you went to war," Madguts sneered.

"We were already at war," Hiccup corrected him. "But though we limited our efforts to disrupting auctions and freeing dragons from their operations, Viggo targeted innocents. He blockaded Berk and aimed to make our people starve. Men and woman-many old- and children suffered and some died as a result. He sent bounty hunters after me-the act of a coward. And in the end, he was betrayed by his brother. We attacked his base and rescued him-and when Ryker attacked our base using a Shellfire dragon under his control, we assisted Viggo. We defeated Ryker and he was killed. But Viggo snatched Astrid and threatened her life, though he had sworn himself as an ally. He betrayed us. And as he ran after the DragonEye, which I threw to destruction in the volcano rather than give it to him, he fell to his death. And I still flung myself forward to try to grab his hand. But it was too late."

"Very pretty tale, boy," Mogadon sneered. "But I don't see…"

"No, you don't," Hiccup said sharply. "The Dragon Hunter Tribe ARE the Hunters. All their men take part. Their women and children help process the dragon products. All benefit from the capture of dragons, the enslavement of dragons, which you all signed a pact to outlaw and end when we ended the war with dragons, three years ago. Yet there were Murderous and Meathead and Hysterics at the Auctions. That was a violation of the Treaty. So don't imagine you will get a scrap of sympathy for any man of yours who was killed when we or Astrid wiped out the auctions. They violated the pact you all signed and they paid the price they deserved!"

The Chiefs all looked furious but not one could argue with his pointed and wholly accurate attack.

"The Hunters were armed. Are still armed. No one on their ships then or recently was innocent or unarmed-they were all dragon hunters and had attacked and ambushed us on many occasions. The Tribe was an enemy and had targeted innocents. They were well protected by ships and ballistas."

"And Viggo didn't die," Astrid added. "He survived and allied with Krogan and his Fliers. They attacked Berk and our allies-the Defenders of the Wing, the Wing Maidens-and Berk itself. The Hunters continued. The war got more vicious. They were not innocent or unarmed. And then they captured Hiccup as we infiltrated the Northern Markets. He surrendered himself to protect Heather, Dagur's sister and Heir and their dragons. They tortured him, they poisoned him, they abused him in every way possible. And when we attacked to rescue him, they went to slit his throat, not even considering letting him be rescued."

"But I was rescued-by Astrid and the Riders," Hiccup continued. "Viggo and Krogan had given me the Wine of Hela, a legendary poison for which there was supposed to be no cure. I had seven moons before I died…but on the way, I would become blind and dumb, plagued by hallucinations and nightmares, I would lose the use of my limbs and finally drop into a coma. But my Riders-my friends-went to Frost Isle and scoured the archives with Gothi. They found there was a cure-even when Krogan's Fliers attacked and destroyed the archives-your shared history. We rescued the formula-but nothing else."

There were murmurs and Bertha, Dagur and Grabthroat all glared at Ulric Grimborn. Even though the island had been abandoned, there had been a comfort knowing the ancient archives were preserved there if anyone wanted to brave the killing cold to visit. The knowledge they had been destroyed on the orders of Viggo, the cousin of the man who was claiming his Tribe was innocent in all the chaos was galling.

"And the Fliers pursued the Riders, doing their best to destroy the components of the cure," Astrid continued. "But our friends are brave and clever. They never gave up. And they managed to locate all the ingredients. But they missed the seven day deadline. And I knew then that my love was doomed. He would die in bed and be denied the seat in Valhalla that his heroic deeds and bravery deserved. So I went to ensure that his death was soaked in the blood of his enemies, that he was buried on mounds of bodies of those who had slain him, in the hope that Odin would admit him to the Halls of Valhalla where he deserved to be."

There was silence and audience all stared at the young woman, her voice passionate and determined. Hiccup gave a small smile.

"I cannot see you permitting any other Valkyrie carry me to the Halls of the Fallen except you, my love," he murmured, his hand squeezing hers once more. She dipped her head for a second.

"I had to make sure you qualified," she said honestly. "It was my right and duty as your Betrothed."

"And she had my blessing," Stoick said, his gruff voice silencing all murmurs. "Hiccup is my only son and Heir. If Astrid hadn't made them pay for their actions, I would have."

The other Chiefs stared at him, realising they had forgotten what was at stake.

"Hear, hear," Bertha said.

"Any father would do the same," Dagur added. There was a pause and Mogadon gave a grudging nod: he would have for his son, Thuggory.

"But the issue is that this…girl…went too far," Madguts snapped. "She wrought destruction on an entire Tribe. And for that, she has to pay!"

"Why?" Hiccup asked as the doors slammed open and three figures walked in.

"Are we too late?" Throk asked.


	31. The Dragon Master

**Thirty One: The Dragon Master.**

The Chiefs and assembled audience all stared in shock at the tall shape of the newcomer, taking in his strange clothes, the calm, stern expression on his face and the pride in his amber eyes. The torchlight gleamed off his pike as he looked across the Vikings facing him. He nodded to Chief Stoick and the man nodded back, having seen Throk when the Defenders of the Wing sent supplies through to Berk after Viggo's blockade.

"Who are you?" Madguts sneered, his hand dropping to his sword and his black leather armour creaking as he moved. Throk gave him a dismissive stare.

"I am Throk, Right Hand of Queen Mala," he said, indicating to the tall woman at his side, her long black gold-embroidered tunic and trousers very unusual, the cool look in her green eyes and page cut strawberry blonde hair unfamiliar to them. "She is the ruler of the Tribe of Defenders of the Wing on Caldera Cay. We are allies of Hiccup Haddock and the Dragon Riders."

"As am I," the third person said. A woman with silver armour and red hair in a ponytail, she wore a headdress that seemed akin to a crown and there seemed to be a young silver dragon clamped to her back. Grabthroat rose to his feet and stabbed an accusing finger.

"No more dragons here!" he yelled as she looked at him with cool contempt in her green eyes as Toothless gave a welcoming warble.

"I am Atali, Chief among the Wingmaidens," she announced. "We do Freya's work in protecting and nurturing the young Razorwhips who are born blind and helpless. Until they are ambulant, they remain paired with a protector. My young charge, Skytoucher, will remain on my back until he is ready to fend for himself." And then she scowled at Madguts. "Resume your seat, foolish man. Unless you threaten me, he is of no danger to you. The dragon stays." Astrid looked at the allies and frowned.

"Why are you here?" she asked. Throk gave a small smile.

"Hiccup Haddock sent a Terror Mail to us both to head here with all haste," he revealed. "He believed that many of the Chiefs would arrive with a closed mind and would need additional testimony to the evil of the Hunters."

"And I believe that he was correct," Queen Mala announced, her cool voice condemnatory. "These fools do not believe our ally-or choose to ignore the evidence presented." She walked forward. "I am fully your equal, a Chief and Queen on an island that has defied those who would harm dragons for centuries," she announced.

"We greet you," Bertha announced before Mogadon could open his mouth. "And you, Chief Atali. It is good to see more women represented." Mogadon scowled.

"Speak, then," he invited ungraciously.

"Our island is unstable, dominated by an active volcano," Mala announced. "Our Tribe is shielded from the caprices of the lava by a dragon called the Eruptodon, whom we call the Great Protector. Viggo knows without it, our Tribe would be destroyed by the ferocious eruptions and lave flows. So he distracted us by misinformation and stole our Eruptodon. He wanted to use it to awaken the volcano on the Edge to destroy the Dragon Riders. He was entirely happy to destroy our Tribe and kill us all by stealing our Protector to use against others."

"The Dragon Riders outwitted him and returned our Great Protector, preventing our destruction," Throk continued. "They became our allies. Since then Viggo has attacked us, damaging homes and injuring our people, our civilians."

"As allies of the Riders, we have observed their movements, revealing the Hunters to be ruthless and cruel, targeting innocents on Berk and Caldera Cay," Atali said clearly. "No one who claims the Hunters and their Tribe are innocent is being truthful. They are armed and fully committed to profiting from the enslavement and destruction of innocent, intelligent dragons. Against a treaty you all signed, I believe. And I saw representative of Tribes with your-your-your and your symbols!" She pointed unerringly at Mogadon, Madguts, Norbert and Grabthroat. They all shared glances.

"And that is why you are so Helheim bent on going after Astrid," Hiccup said suddenly, his eyes sweeping over the Chiefs. "You are all getting pressure from the families of those slain when they were attending dragon auctions and fights, when they were violating a Treaty that you signed-and in order to keep them quiet, you try to bury your culpability and instead try to blame my wife for their and your transgressions!"

"I wouldn't say that," Madguts growled.

"Only because you don't know what half of those words mean," Grabthroat snarked.

"I'd say more like three quarters," Alvin commented. "And I know dishonesty when I see it."

"So do I," Norbert added, leaning forward. "There is more." He looked piercingly at Astrid and she felt her skin crawl at his expression.

"Yes," she said and looked over at Hiccup. "Viggo claimed they had branded Hiccup. That he was a slave. And while a single man existed who would perpetuate the lie, he was in danger. He has no brand…but the allegation would destroy him. And while the Tribe existed, they could harm him. Or try to claim him and sow enough doubt to rob him of his birthright. But they no longer exist and everything they owned is No Man's-so no one from the Hunter Tribe could make any claim, real or false, against Hiccup."

"Sounds suspect to me," Mogadon commented.

"And a bit suspicious, even to me," Alvin commented, looking apologetic.

Hiccup unfastened his leather tunic and pulled it up, pulling the neck of his red fabric tunic open to reveal his tattoo.

"I have no brand," he said coldly. The other Riders stepped forward ad they all revealed their tattoos. "None of us do. We have a tattoo to mark our victory over the Dragon Hunters. And Viggo, Krogan and their leader…"

"Leader?" Norbert sneered. "You never mentioned him."

"Oh boy," Dagur murmured, looking over at Heather. But Hiccup faced them boldly.

"We defeated him," he said. "He had captured Heather. He was ruthless and amoral. He tormented her, having sent bounty hunters after Astrid. We attacked his base and released Heather, then I faced him. We ended his men and destroyed his base. He is dead." Madguts leaned forward.

"What was his name then?" he demanded.

"I don't know," Hiccup said honestly. "He wore names and faces like clothes, disguising who he really was. But he commanded Viggo and Krogan and all of their resources. making them more brutal and more vicious than ever before. Under him, they attacked innocents without hesitation and slaughtered more dragons than I would have imagined possible. But he swore to kill Astrid and I. I had to end it. We ended it. He is dead, buried at sea without any commendation to the Gods. I hope he's enjoying Helheim!"

They all stared. Hiccup was acknowledged as Stoick's boy, taunted by other Heirs when he was younger as a disappointment, a runt and a fishbone-but clearly intelligent and brave enough to be worthy as an Heir. All were secretly impressed that he had solved the problem of the raids that his father had obsessed about for decades-yet appalled that he had broken every taboo and befriended a dragon in the process. Yet Hiccup had triumphed and saved his Tribe, losing a leg in the process and irrevocably changing the face of Berk.

His father had stoically backed him and the Treaties with all the other Tribes had been signed over the first year, once the Berkians had realised that concealing the dragons wasn't an option-the Berserker and Outcast wars had proven that. And slowly, others had joined them-the Berserkers and the Outcasts had dragons in some degree while the Bogs, though they didn't ride dragons, did use the small ones for conducting messages. The other, more stubborn and traditional tribes had rejected any change to the status quo but had agreed not to hunt dragons-so they were only able to drive them off their islands but no longer profit from any kills.

Yet Hiccup had proven his mettle, in defeating Alvin and Dagur and in inventing devices that were the envy of the Archipelago. He had travelled to all islands, to give advice about rogue dragons and he had always been polite, generous and clearly a compassionate young man. Yet here he was, wishing an enemy eternal torment….and that caused all the Chiefs to pause. And there was an edge to his light, slightly nasal voice that was more in keeping with his impressive father than a man they believed was an easy touch. It gave them an inkling that it wasn't always a good option to cross him.

"Agreed," Dagur said.

"But the main issue is that your woman attacked and destroyed a Tribe," Madguts snarled.

"No, your problem is that she attacked and destroyed a Tribe using a dragon," Hiccup yelled back and then he paused.

"What do you mean 'your woman'?" Bertha growled.

"I am a warrior and I speak for myself!" Astrid added. "I stand by my own actions and answer for them."

"Yet your husband here is defending you and…" Grabthroat interjected sneeringly but the young woman glared at him.

"We stand together," she said, feeling him tense by her. "I am his General and his protector. He protects me. I love him with all my heart. When I thought him dead, when I saw what torments they had put my beloved through, I was filled with rage and hate. We were at war and our Chief had been tortured and poisoned. Would any one of you, any man of yours sit back and shrug-or would they swear bloody vengeance and make those who attacked your leader pay with their blood down to the last most distant relation?"

"Option B, I think," Dagur murmured as Alvin nodded.

"It's the Viking way-and no one better intimate the lass ain't a Viking," he added.

"And doubly so if the bastards were lying about your leader being their slave," Bertha added, leaning forward. Mala nodded.

"Such behaviour is so dishonourable that nothing like that could be tolerated," she agreed. "The attackers were cowardly, ravaging my village as we offered shelter to Astrid. Innocents were hurt because they attacked without care or warning."

"And in war, there has to be a winner and loser," Bertha said, casting a deeply unfriendly look at Ulric Grimborn. "You reap what you sow, Grimborn. Your previous Tribe was a bunch of heinous dragon murderers and they chose to attack innocents in their war. And in doing that, they made their own innocents fair game. Viggo played the game of targeting innocents first-you can hardly whine when it comes back at you."

"But she did it on her own!" Mogadon shouted.

"And that is your real issue," Stoick said slowly. "That one woman on her dragon with a few trained wild dragons erased an entire Tribe. And you wonder-how many more of us could to do that?"

There was an eloquent silence.

"Probably only Fishlegs…and me," Hiccup said. "Fishlegs is an exceptional dragon trainer and he knows more about dragon ecology and behaviour than any of us…"

"Eco…what?" Grabthroat asked, frowning.

"How animals interact and live within their natural environment and how the whole system works in harmony together," Fishlegs supplied helpfully from the Riders. The traditional Chiefs all rolled their eyes in boredom.

"But Fishlegs is a good man, a man who has a little Berserker blood in his veins but will only lose his temper if you push him so hard you would be insane to go that far," Hiccup told them clearly.

"Awww…thanks," the husky rider said.

"Hey! Why not me?" Snotlout asked, miffed, his fists planted on his hips. Hiccup rolled his eyes but Astrid was quicker.

"You are a dangerous foe, Snot-but you can't control Hookfang most of the time-so you could never train wild Monstrous Nightmares to help in an attack that could raze an inland to bare rock."

"Really? That is what you did?" Ruff asked. "That is so seriously awesome!"

"Though I'm sure we could…" Tuff began but his twin punched him to shut him up.

"No, we couldn't," she pointed out. "Barf'n'Belch is explosive, with no fire. Astrid's Nadder can literally vaporise everything in her way!"

"Okay…you have a point," Snotlout grumbled. "How much longer is this going on?"

"Not long," Hiccup said. "The other person is me. And I am the one you have to worry about. I can train any dragon. Toothless is acknowledged as a leader of the dragons. They will all do what he says. He is an Alpha. And between us, we can control pretty much any type of dragon. I have been called the Dragon Master-but to be honest, I prefer Dragon Trainer. Master has a rather sinister connotation and implies supremacy-and at heart, I'm a decent guy. I stand for peace, for tolerance and for befriending and protecting dragons. And while you adhere to the Treaties and do not threaten what I hold dear, I will remain an advocate for peace."

"I sense a but," Norbert commented.

"You are correct," Hiccup said. "You see, I love Astrid. I love her with all my heart. And losing her would be the worst thing that could happen. She protected me. She rescued me when I was dying. I heard her voice and I knew, through the dark and the pain, that I would be safe. As I fought the grip of death, I was fighting to be with _her_. And when I recovered and found her gone, I fought to be strong enough to go out there and find her. She protects me-and I protect her. I am the voice of reason and peace to her anger and vengeance."

Then he walked forward and looked each man in the eye in turn.

"Astrid is my wife," he said. "And if anything befalls her, if anyone decides to try to banish or to kill her, then I will no longer be the voice of reason or of peace. I will be a man bereft of his heart. And without Astrid, I will be filled with pain and anger. And I will share that liberally with those who took the woman I loved from me. I will share my anger as a flood of fire from the skies. I will share my pain with these responsible because I will slaughter every single one of their line, their clan, their Tribe, their friends. And I will leave them alone and bereft and haunted by the knowledge that their own actions caused such devastation and death-and that the utter desolation they feel is the merest infinitesimal fraction of the pain I feel at losing Astrid. And as Dragon Master, I will ensure that every dragon is your enemy. That your ships sink, your crops are torched, your homes burnt to the ground…every single day until the end of my life. Is that clear?"

A breathless silence filled the hall as they all stared at the skinny auburn-haired viking whose gentle voice had grown hard and determined and who had promised the most terrible vengeance on them if they dared sentence Astrid.

"I will make what happened to the Dragon Hunter Tribe look like a day in Valhalla," he said, staring at Ulric and the man gaped.

"But…but…she said she was only sparing us, sparing the women and children because that was what you would have done…" he gabbled. Hiccup nodded.

"Yes," he said. "I would…now. But if you Chiefs, if your Tribes choose to try to take Astrid from me, that man ceases to exist. And I really don't think that any one of you could survive the wrath of the man who would be left in his place."

Dagur puffed out his cheeks.

"I think…I had a lucky escape when I captured his father that I didn't kill him," he murmured to Alvin and the Outcast nodded.

"You and me both," he replied in a low voice. "He's the son of Stoick the Vast, alright-and I think we both know he is the best ally imaginable, that he will stop at nothing to honour the pacts he has sworn and tender help when requested. But the flip side seems to be…he may be the son of Stoick the Vindictive as well."

"But Astrid's actions were the actions of a Betrothed avenging heinous hurts to her husband-to-be," Hiccup continued to the Council. "We were at war and when she believed I was lost, she set out to avenge me, like the Valkyrie she is. Astrid is a warrior, a woman who was trained from early childhood to fight and when she believed I was gone, she defaulted to what she knew. She ended the war. And while the Treaties hold, you have nothing to fear."

"But…you have dragons," Mogodon protested.

"You have a much larger Tribe and far more warriors," Hiccup pointed out. "You have more longships, more catapults and more archers. The Shivering Shores have a ferocious Navy that everyone fears. The Murderous…well, what more do I need to say? Berk is small and we have been ravaged by raids for years. We are small in numbers and poor in terms of gold-but we are ferocious and stubborn and we have our dragons."

"It's not fair," Madguts growled.

"You were offered the chance to train dragons," Hiccup pointed out evenly. "You rejected it as not being the Viking way. But I believe the Viking way is to adapt, to survive, to explore. And to use what assets we can to make the best life for our people. I doubt any of you would accuse my father of not being a Viking…" And he gestured to the massive shape with the best beard in the Archipelago, the huge bearskin cloak and horned helmet. Stoick nodded and then scowled at the others.

"I think if you can find a more Viking-like Viking then I would be shocked," Dagur commented. Alvin chuckled.

"I can give ole' Stoick a run for 'is money but I know what yer mean," he commented in an amused voice.

"…but Dad accepted that using Dragons was in the best interests of the Tribe-in ensuring that our fishing fleet was protected, in rounding up boars for food and in protecting the island from pirates and anyone else who wanted to attack us…" Hiccup explained. "Berk is stable. And my father does not seek conquest. He only wants his people to be safe and secure and fed. And that is what I wants well. I desire to travel, to explore, to find new dragons and new islands…and project my own. Astrid is my own. The Riders are my own. Our dragons are my own. Berk is my own. And dragonkind is my own. All else…is not my concern, unless I am asked for assistance."

"But she must pay for her crimes!" Ulric shouted, walking forward.

Astrid hung her head.

"He's right," she said in a soft voice but Hiccup turned and took her hand, lifting her chin and staring into the beautiful blue eyes, filled with self-loathing and guilt.

"No, he's not," he told her gently. "Because in a war, terrible things are done. On both sides. And while many of those who have fought against us are gone, many are not-and especially some who gave orders and profited from Berk's starvation and the theft of our gold. And it is my right, the right of conquest, the right of the victor, to demand every last member of the Grimborn family brought to my feet to be slain, if I so choose." She looked up and shook her head.

"That isn't who you are, Hiccup," she whispered.

"I would be, if I had to be to protect my own," he told her. And then he turned back to the Council and Ulric.

"Astrid is paying for her crimes," he said coldly. "Because she is a decent woman. She regrets the deaths she caused. She still sees the faces of men she killed in her nightmares. And that guilt, that pain will remain with her for the rest of her life. And I will help her deal with it, throughout our lives together. She has seen my scars-and I know hers. Together, we will work through it. And I understand it isn't the execution you want or the banishment you seek as a gesture to your Tribesmen who were spitting on a Treaty you signed with us…but I do not care." His voice had hardened.

"Hiccup…" Stoick's voice was soft but the young Viking shook his head.

"You will go back and tell the families that their menfolk were guilty of breaking the Treaty with Berk and their deaths were their own fault," he said. "If anyone wants to take it further…" He paused and just smiled…and it was a smile that promised no mercy. "Astrid killed my enemies, those who killed and harmed innocents, who targeted dragons; enemies who were without honour and tried to kill me by torture and by cowardly poison. She ended the war. She destroyed the Tribe that were our enemy. She is home and she is my wife. And as a member of the ruling House of Berk, she is protected by me and my father. And by every Hooligan on Berk."

"That's Stoick's son," Bertha said in a satisfied voice.

"Take your vote," Hiccup said, his hand tight around Astrid's. "I have said all that needs to be said."

Mogadon looked at him and then at the Chiefs.

"Votes to convict?" he asked. Madguts raised his fist, followed by Grabthroat and reluctantly by Norbert. He nodded. "And to acquit?" Bertha, Alvin, Dagur, Stoick, Mala and Atali all raised their fists. Norbert made to open his mouth to protest but Throk glared at him and surprisingly, the Hysteric Chief subsided-though Toothless's growl may have had something to do with it. Finally, Hiccup raised his fist.

"A majority to acquit, I think," Dagur commented. Mogadon sniffed.

"Eight - three," he agreed as Alvin chuckled.

"He voted her free yer, lass," he commented. Astrid gave a shuddering sigh of relief.

"Thank you," she said but Mogadon shook his head, causing her to stiffen.

"You are not welcome on Meathead, Murderous, Shivering Shores or Hysteria," he said. "You are released to the custody of your husband. And you are not to take up arms again…"

"Unacceptable," Hiccup said sharply. "She is my General and she will fight when Berk needs her."

"You are not take up arms again without the express orders of your Chief," Mogadon said coldly. "That is all. This Council is at an end."

As the scrape of chairs sounded as all the Chiefs rose, an immediate and very loud hubbub breaking out as the Vikings all started discussing the events they had witnessed at the top of their voices. Ruffnut sidled up to greet Throk while Fishlegs nodded to Mala and Heather welcomed Atali. But Hiccup turned to find Astrid wrapping her arms around him, pulling him into a very tight hug. Swiftly, he managed to turn the hug into a kiss, staring into her eyes before he kissed her soundly.

Smiling as she pulled back, ignoring the whoops of the twins, a vomiting noise from Snotlout and a loud 'awww' from Fishlegs, she looked into his eyes.

"Remind me never to get you mad, Babe," she murmured as she saw him give a small, self-conscious smile.

"I think, no one but you can guess the despair I felt when I thought I was gone, when I thought I had lost you," he told her. "And no one knows that I fought death itself to be back with you. That every scenario was me fighting to get back with you. And in the end, you saved me. I know my destiny has always been with you. And I would burn the Archipelago to the bare rock to keep you." She rested a hand against his cheek and felt him press into the gentle touch.

"And you already know what I would do if I lost you, my love," she sighed. "I don't deserve you. I can feel the blackness back there, trying to pull me back. And I don't want to become that Dark Valkyrie again." He leaned forward to kiss her again.

"With me at your side, my Astrid, you never need to be," he said. "You have me and Toothless and Stormfly. And between us, we will keep you in the light." And then he smiled, leaning close to whisper in her ear. "And of course, there's the small matter of our wedding night…"


	32. His Valkyrie

**A/N: Contains lemon (after the feast). You have been warned!**

 

**Thirty Two: His Valkyrie.**

 

 

The flight back to Berk was much more relaxing than the tense flight into the unknown on the way to Knobbly Butt. Snotlout was haranguing the twins about how come they attended Hiccup’s wedding when he hadn’t been invited-and Ruff and Tuff were glorying in baiting him. Heather and Fishlegs were pressing Astrid for details while Hiccup flew alone at the front of the phalanx, lost in his thoughts. The wind was cold in his face and Toothless was flapping along faithfully under him but inside, he was in turmoil. He really couldn’t believe that he had said what he had to those Chiefs, to men who commanded hundreds and hundreds of men at arms and who were nominally allies of Berk…though much more nominally now, he guessed.

 

“Son,” Stoick called, pulling Skullcrusher alongside the Night Fury. Blinking, Hiccup looked up and his shoulders slumped. Stoick had said almost nothing during the Trial and very little during the brief trip back to their lodgings to collect their possessions and dragons before a hasty exit. Alvin was travelling home by ship as was Bertha but Heather and Dagur were flying back to Berk because the Berserker siblings wanted to celebrate Hiccup’s wedding a little more properly when he got home. And the young Viking guessed his father would be less than pleased at his performance.

 

“Hi, Dad,” he said, forcing his voice to be cheerful. “We’re making good time. And the weather looks set fair for the flight…”

 

“That’s good news,” Stoick said gruffly, staring carefully ahead. “Are you warm enough?” Hiccup nodded, wondering when his father would get to the point and tell him off for basically alienating half their allies.

 

“My leather tunic is pretty warm and the undershirt is actually pretty thick wool,” he admitted. “Astrid made sure I was properly wrapped up…” He couldn’t help the small smile that lifted his lips and Stoick harrumphed as he finally looked over at his son.

 

“You really love that lass, don’t you?” he said in a softer voice. Nodding automatically, Hiccup snatched a glance over his shoulder to see Astrid describing something large to Heather and the Berserker nodded with a wide grin.

 

“With everything I have,” he said evenly. “Toothless as well.”

 

“I loved your mother the same, I think,” Stoick said softly. “The moment I set eyes on her, I knew she was the one for me, that I would marry her. And obviously, I was a fair bit older than her, but I was lucky that she saw through my idiotic macho Viking front and realised I wasn’t a total muttonhead…though I apparently did my best to convince that I was one…” Hiccup chuckled.

 

“I see messing up with women is a Haddock trait,” he admitted. Stoick drifted closer.

 

“I’m not sure you made any friends in there,” he told his son as Hiccup tensed.

 

“I know-and I’m sorry, Dad-but in the end, I had to protect my own.”

 

“The way you put them down, the way you terrorised those Chiefs, all of them proven in battle and vicious as they come…well, that wasn’t the son I raised,” Stoick commented. Hiccup took a shuddering breath.

 

“I’m sorry,” he repeated. “But they wanted to execute her-I saw it in their eyes. Only a death would have satisfied their desire to remind us that dragons couldn’t be allowed to be used as weapons-of defence or attack.”

 

“I think you are right,” Stoick commented thoughtfully. “Not very subtle, are they?”

 

“Not at all,” Hiccup said. “But they were hypocrites, breaking the Treaty to deal in dragon auctions while protesting that Astrid violated an agreement-which she didn’t.”

 

“I think they were surprised by how you faced them, how you completely undermined their arguments and then used a show of force…” Stoick told him. Groaning, his son ran his hands through his hair.

 

“I had no other choice,” he sighed.

 

“I’m proud of you,” Stoick said.

 

There was a pause as Hiccup looked at his father in shock.

 

“Dad?” he asked in an astonished voice. But Stoick was smiling, his eyes twinkling.

 

“Hiccup-you are a brave and stubborn young man, a leader and a fellow-Chief-but those men do not see that,” he explained. “They see a skinny young Viking missing a leg and talking about befriending dragons. They assumed you were weak and would not stand up for what you believed. They thought they could order you around and try to use the threats of force to corral your dragons and subjugate Berk. They wanted Astrid dead as a warning to anyone who rides a dragon that they would not tolerate a threat existing. And in one speech, you blew every assumption apart.”

 

“Yeah…I’m doing wonders for my reputation as a peacemaker,” Hiccup mumbled.

 

“Son-wanting peace and co-existence with dragons is admirable…but true peace can only exist when men who would take advantage are aware that there are people who will fight for peace. That there are those who will call them out and resist any efforts to break Treaties and threaten peace. And you proved you would fight for your love-and your dragons.” Stoick’s tone was grave. “You persuaded them that you would slaughter them if they made any move against Astrid or the dragons…or Berk. You spoke like a Chief, like a leader, like a protector. And I have never been more proud as when I heard you speak today.”

 

“Really?” Hiccup asked. “I thought you would be ashamed of me for threatening them if they took Astrid.”

 

“Men sometimes need to know that actions have consequences,” Stoick muttered thoughtfully. “Astrid proved attacking you carried the highest of prices-and you reminded them that attacking her, that taking her would carry the same. Or worse. Today, you made Berk safer.” Hiccup gave a wry smile.

 

“Still seeking the peaceful solution,” he told his father and Stoick smiled.

 

“Whatever you wish, son,” he said. “Now that I know you will fight when you have to.” He paused. “I was worried, after you were so ill, so wounded, that you would not wish to enter conflict again…”

 

“I don’t,” Hiccup admitted in a low voice. “I mean, facing Johann had me so scared I could scarcely think. I thought he would hear my heart pounding in my chest and see I was scared to death…because seeing him, hearing him brought it all back. But I had Toothless with me and when Astrid arrived as well, I knew I was safe. I don’t want to leave my bud and Astrid…but sometimes, you have to fight for what you believe.” Stoick gave a broad grin.

 

“Just saying, son,” he said proudly. “When I finally hand over the Tribe to you, I know they’ll be in good hands.” Eyes wide, Hiccup watched as he dropped back to chat with Dagur as the twins drifted closer.

 

“Now, little Hiccy, all we need is to arrange the final ceremonies of your hasty and rather nocturnal nuptials,” Tuff announced. Brow furrowing for a second, Hiccup’s eyes suddenly widened as he realised what the male twin was referring to.

 

“No, Tuff,” he said firmly. “Absolutely, totally and completely…no!”

 

“You know, your ears have gone red?” Ruff asked him carelessly.

 

“Actually, he looks like a beetroot,” Snotlout said unkindly. “You afraid that she’s gonna be disappointed with that’s on offer, cuz?” Cheeks literally feeling on fire, Hiccup gritted his teeth.

 

“It doesn’t matter what you think, Snotty, because Hiccup is my husband and there is absolutely nothing about him that is disappointing,” Astrid announced, accelerating to fly Stormfly just off Toothless’s right wing. “You on the other hand…” And she shook her head, tutting.

 

“WHAT? How could you be disappointed by this beautiful face and buff body and…AAAGH! I knew it! I should have gone off for my nap…” Snotlout protested.

 

“I thought only babies had naptime,” Heather teased him.

 

“WHAT? I meant beauty sleep…” Snotlout retorted.

 

“You’d need to sleep halfway to Ragnarok to get you beautiful,” Fishlegs put in.

 

“Shut up, Fishface! This is the face that will be fighting off a dozen…no, a hundred beautiful, rich Heiresses who will all be enthralled by my Viking good looks!” Snotlout snapped.

 

“Well, shame all these Heiresses have no sense of direction because no one is fighting over you so far,” Fishlegs pointed out.

 

“Why you…”

 

“I’m more interested in how we’re going to work on Hiccup and Astrid…officialising their marriage,” Ruff called casually, leering at the couple. Through his total embarrassment, Hiccup sneaked a look up and saw Astrid’s cheeks pink as well at the implication. His heart sunk.

 

“Whatever we do, we will have Toothless and Stormfly on guard so anyone trying to come in or watch-yes, I’m looking at you, Snotlout-will get eaten by our dragons!” Astrid told them fiercely.

 

“Hey! They eat fish, not Vikings…” Snotlout protested but Astrid glared at him.

 

“I wiped out the Dragon Hunter Tribe,” she reminded him. “And I am banned across half the Archipelago. Do you really want to seriously annoy me, Snotlout?”

 

There was a hasty pause and then four voices all piped up.

 

“No, Astrid,” Ruffnut, Tuffnut, Fishlegs and Snotlout all said together. and dropped back. But Astrid drifted closer and smiled at her new husband.

 

“Don’t worry, Babe,” she reassured him. “I have seen your scars and I am not repulsed. I love you with all my heart. And I can’t wait to ‘officialise’ our marriage.”

 

“You know, people are aware of the Wine of Hela as being lethal but few people understand how deadly embarrassment can be,” Hiccup sassed.

 

“Well, you better not be dying of embarrassment because I am going to be one very disappointed woman,” she told him. “And don’t worry-I’ve already told Dad he can explain Mom why there won’t be any primping or preening or fuss. Just a small meal…and then time on our own at last.”

 

oOo

 

Of course, it wasn’t that simple, because everyone wanted to know what had happened and word of the marriage leaked out almost immediately-undoubtedly courtesy of the twins. A stampede of female Hoffersons descended on Astrid and the young woman wondered if it would have been better facing an army of Meatheads and Hysterics. Her Mother had been shocked and disappointed and delighted and frankly appalled at her hair. Astrid didn’t have the heart to tell her that Hiccup had combed and rebraided it for her…and as far as she was concerned, he had made a pretty good job. And it seemed that every man in the village was trying to clap Hiccup on the shoulder, wishing him good fortune, a happy marriage…or a successful wedding night.

 

Battered and buffeted and literally dying of embarrassment at the ribald good humour, Hiccup was grateful when Stoick wrapped a meaty arm around his shoulders and steered him out of the scrum of well-wishing Hooligans.

 

“Feast in the Great Hall!” the Chief bellowed and there was a sudden exodus of Vikings from he Plaza, swiftly moving to stow their tools and finish tasks before heading up to enjoy the celebrations. Grimacing and gently rubbing his tattooed and formerly-branded shoulder, Hiccup sagged in relief.

 

“Thanks, Dad,” he said wearily. “I thought I wasn’t getting out of there…”

 

“Aye, well they do get carried away,” the Chief said indulgently. “They mean well and none of them have an ounce of sense or boundaries but I was afraid your lass would have to come in swinging an axe to rescue you.”

 

“Thor, I am never living that down, am I?” Hiccup groaned and his father looked down on him with twinkling eyes.

 

“I may let it drop when I have grandbabies to distract me,” he said in a deadpan voice. Hiccup’s eyes widened.

 

“What? Did you really imply…?” he stammered. Stoick grinned broadly.

 

“Just saying…” he chuckled as his son face-palmed.

 

“That’s it. I am moving to Frost Isle. It would be quieter…” he groaned as Stoick burst out laughing.

 

“Son-you can do what you want…though I would hope that now, with the war with the Dragon Hunters ended, you may consider coming home,” he said softly. “I miss you-and I’m not getting any younger. I know Arvid misses his daughter and it’s time your friends and you started to take your places leading the island and training to take over.” Hiccup looked up but his father was being honest. “I’m not getting any younger and I would like the chance to retire and enjoy being with my son’s family…”

 

“DAD!” HIccup’s cheeks were flaming again. Stoick chuckled.

 

“Just saying. And Gobber was right-you do blush far too easily!” he commented.

 

“DAD!”

 

“It’s alright-I’ll say no more…for now,” Stoick commented. “Now shall we get you up to your wedding feast?”

 

“Only if you promise not to embarrass me any more on the way,” Hiccup said sternly. The Chief looked at Toothless, who was giving a laughing warble. “And Toothless-you’re better than that!” the auburn-haired rider grumbled. “I can see this is going be a _long_ meal…”

 

But the journey up took a long time as well because everyone still wanted to greet their Heir and wish him happiness. It brought a lump to Hiccup’s throat at the honest good wishes of his people and he found his facing aching from smiling and throat hoarse from politely answering the queries. And he wondered where Astrid had gone.

 

He found out when he finally reached the hall, for she was already seated at the top table, her hair crowned with flowers and in a long dress of light blue sheathing her slender figure, replacing her usual tunic, studded skirt, armoured epaulettes and binders. A braided golden belt was looped around her slim waist and she looked fed up-until she saw him, when her eyes widened and she looked relieved. He accelerated forward and she smiled as he slid into the seat at her side.

 

“And where have you been?” she asked him pointedly, though she was smiling. He rubbed the back of his neck, self-consciously.

 

“Sorry, dear,” he sassed. “I mean, I think I have been patted, hugged and had my hand shaken by every single villager. Some of them twice. I really need a drink…” She gently lifted a mug and handed it to him.

 

“You should have had me there to protect you,” she quipped. He groaned.

 

“I am never going to live that down,” he sighed but she rested her hand on his.

 

“Hiccup-you threatened to burn the Archipelago to bare rock to protect me,” she reminded him. “I protect you and you protect me.”

 

“Always have, always will,” he confirmed. “And there is no place I would rather be than by your side…” And then he sipped the mead and blinked. She grinned at his expression.

 

“Yup-Gobber got out the good stuff,” she confirmed then took a sip of her own mug. “A couple of sips do get your head whizzing…”

 

“Ah…the only way to fell my ferocious Valkyrie…a mug of vintage mead,” Hiccup sassed.

 

“Don’t you go getting any ideas, mister!” she warned him as a plate of meat and bread was placed in front on her. Arvid served Hiccup a similarly loaded plate with a nod of respect. Smiling a thanks, the young man leaned closer to her with a wicked expression.

 

“Oh, I have many, many ideas…Mrs Haddock…” he whispered as she giggled. “And I see your mother managed to ambush you after all…” She sighed.

 

“I was astonished how much primping and fuss they could fit into a few minutes,” Astrid commented. “I suspect she must have been ready for years…” Then Hiccup looked up and saw a humped shape raise her mug of mead and wink at him. He raised his mead to the Elder.

 

“Or Gothi warned her to be ready for when we came back,” he added. Astrid’s eyes widened.

 

“Why didn’t I think of that?” she asked him. “I mean, it takes time to prepare a feast…” Hiccup chuckled.

 

“I never had our Elder taped as a romantic…but here we are,” he murmured and speared a slice of roast yak on his belt knife, then offered it to his wife. “Milady? Would you like a nibble?” Her eyes widened.

 

“Did you just…?” she gasped as he grinned-and then she lunged forward and snatched the meat. “Mmm…delicious…” she mumbled, licking her lips. Then shecarved a slice of roast chicken and offered it to him, carefully feeding him. He smiled back at her.

 

“I could get used to this…” he admitted, chewing. Then he swallowed-and leaned forward to peck a small kiss on her cheek. She turned and raised an eyebrow.

 

“Oh no…you are not getting away with that!” she scolded him and kissed him properly, eyes closing and hands sinking into each other’s hair. The room contracted to just the two of them and it was only when they pulled back that they were aware of the cheers and whoops. Stoick was looking insanely proud and the twins were yelling advice-all of it nonsense. Hiccup sat back.

 

“You wanna get out of here?” he asked and she nodded.

 

“I thought you’d never ask,” she agreed, rising and holding his hand.

 

“Where are you going?” Snotlout called as Heather glared at him.

 

“Toothless!” Hiccup called and the Night Fury bounded forward. Swiftly, Hiccup swung into the saddle and offered Astrid his hand. “Milady?” Hitching her skirts up, she sat behind him and wrapped her arms around him, her body pressed comfortably against him and head resting against his shoulder.

 

“I thought you’d never ask,” she murmured as the guests all looked up in shock.

 

“But you’ve barely eaten anything!” Gobber protested, waving a leg of mutton around worriedly. Stoick smiled proudly and raised his huge carven mug, nodding to his son.

 

“Save me something for later,” Hiccup said with a grin. "Much later…” he added to whoops and whistles. “And if anyone follows us, I will set Toothless on them! Enjoy the feast!” And then he leaned forward and Toothless bounded to the door and soared into the air, the cold immediately sobering the two young vikings somewhat…but Hiccup felt warm, with Astrid pressed against him. They circled above Berk as he took a few deep breaths.

 

“Hiccup?” Astrid asked, lifting her head. She could feel the tension in his body.

 

“Are you sure?” he asked her and she swatted his shoulder.

 

“The only reason why I’m not punching you is because we’re flying,” she told him tartly. “Now land us and I can show you.”

 

“Your wish is my command,” he said and they circled round and landed at the rebuilt Chief’s house, the Night Fury neatly folding his wings and stationing himself by the door as the two young Vikings entered. The place still smelled new, the roof high and the platform that served as Hiccup’s bedroom appearing larger and with a partial wall isolating it from the main body of the house. “Um…don’t have a house of my own yet, Astrid. I mean, we’re still rebuilding after the Dragon Hunter attack but when they insisted on building Dad’s House, he ensured there were some modifications for a young couple…in case I ever fiound you and got round to finally tying the knot…” Astrid chuckled.

 

“He really does want those grandbabies, doesn’t he?” she teased him and took his hand, leading him up the sturdy stairs. And then she paused as she saw the enlarged bed, laden with new, fresh blankets and pillows, the table cleared with a pitcher of mead and two mugs, a plate of honeyed cakes and several lanterns . Hiccup blinked.

 

“Gothi,” he realised.

 

“And probably my mother,” Astrid said as she turned back to her new husband and kissed him, his hands gently clasping her to him. As he pulled back, he tenderly removed her floral crown and expertly loosed her hair. "Really enjoying that husband privilege, aren’t you, Babe?”

 

“Mmm hmm,” he said, concentrating on loosing the last tresses from the complex braid they had wound it in. Looking up at him, her blue eyes filled with love, she smiled then backed towards the bed. He smiled and walked forward, kissing her again. Her hands were busy with his buckles and after a moment, they had to break apart.

 

“Ugh-how come you made a tunic so difficult to remove?” she complained, frowning as she struggled with a particularly stiff buckle. He helped her and then he pulled back, expertly slipping the whole thing over his hand and tossing it towards the stool-and missing. She chuckled as she looked at him standing there in his deep red tunic, his lean shape breathing hard. She flung herself forward, their lips crashing against each other again. His hands were on her hips, gently sliding up her sides and then down her back, tenderly exploring her taut, athletic shape that was hard with muscle from her active life as a warrior and dragon rider. Deftly, he untied her belt and it slid to the floor, then sat back on the bed, breathing hard. She sat by him as he removed his boot and then looked up.

 

“Sorry,” he mouthed and untied his prosthetic leg. Carefully, he laid it aside in a position that clearly was habit, so it would always be ready and easily at hand when he needed it. Smiling, Astrid knelt down and kissed his leg, gently lifting the fabric to stare at the scarred truncated limb. Tenderly, she kissed it again, the action bringing a lump to his throat.

 

“It’s part of who you are, so I love it,” she told him simply. “I love all of you-even the bits that are missing or removable…” Eyes darkening with love for her, he pulled her up into a kiss, laying back and pulling her onto him. The kisses grew more heated, tongues exploring each other’s mouths and hands roaming wantonly over each other’s bodies. Sometime during the urgent frantic moments, Hiccup’s tunic and Astrid’s dress were shed and they battled and rolled for dominance. Smirking, he lay over her, seeing her breathing hard and pressed a tender kiss on the tip of her nose.

 

“You are beautiful,” he breathed. “Brave and strong and determined…and loving and caring and everything anyone could want. I am the luckiest man in Midgard…”

 

“You better believe it,” she breathed and then gasped as he lightly kissed her chin and then peppered featherlight kisses on her neck and throat, tenderly kissing along her collar bones and then moving back to her throat once more, his hands fumbling with her bindings and beginning to pull the fabric free. She braced her hands against his chest, feeling the play of wiry muscles as he breathed and moved, propping himself up with one arm which he freed her of the last of the fabric and glanced down at another ‘husband privilege’. Smiling at his reaction-the fractional widening of his emerald eyes and the soft exhale of awe-she leaned up and kissed him, lips softly pressing along the line of his jaw, feeling his stubble rough under her lips. She pressed a lazy, wet kiss on his throat and another, causing him to exhale as her hands slid across his hot skin, feeling his nipples pebble under her hands.

 

Then he leaned down, kissing across her chest and palming a small breast, feeling her nipple harden under his rough skin before his lips sucked gently on the other. Her soft gasp of surprise and pleasure caused him to suck again, ensuring the peak was firm before he switched attentions to the other, a hand already sliding down her side and across her waist. Breathing hard, Astrid lifted her hips to help him remove her lower bindings and finally be naked beneath him.

 

He gasped as she pressed her mouth to his chest, tongue swiping his nipples and hands sliding down to his waist and pulling at his leggings. There was an awkward moment as he struggled to slide them down but soon they were kicked away, allowing him to bury his face in her neck, breathing hard. Smiling, she slid her hands down over his bulge, being rewarded by a soft gasp.

 

“Babe,” she murmured his ear as he nipped her earlobe.

 

“Milady,” he breathed. “ _My_ lady.” And as he kissed her again, his hand slid down across her hip, sliding over the soft curls and brushing her folds. She gasped as his dexterous fingers gently brushed over again, feeling wetness under his fingers. Lightly, he pressed, feeling the slickness under his fingers and a small hard nub that he gently rubbed, hearing Astrid gasp. eyes half-lidded, her lips parted in a soft gasp. Emboldened, despite the pressure in his own loins, he swiped his fingers back and forth, the rhythm making her moan softly and shift restlessly. As he pressed deeper, his fingers slid into the slit, feeling warm wetness around his fingers as he gently pushed in and out.

 

Astrid moaned and writhed, hands gripping the blankets as he thrust his fingers in and out more boldly, feeling her tighten then spasm around him. Breathlessly gasping his name, he watched his ferocious valkyrie fall part, back arched and eyes closed, her head flung back as shudders rocked her. He tenderly kissed her again, waiting for her breathing to slow and her eyes to lazily open.

 

“H-how…” she breathed, dilated pupils searching his smiling face.

 

“Books,” he murmured, gasping as her hand slid down and freed him from his own blindings. Smiling, she palmed his erection, fingers gently closing around the hot flesh, her lips curling in a smirk as she watched his astonished reaction, Gently, she slid her hand up and down his member, feeling him shift and he kissed her again, pausing to gently suckle on her nipples once more. She gasped.

 

“Babe,” she whispered. “I want you…” He nodded, the blood pounding in his loins and aching desire filling every molecule of his being. She was his dream, his hope, the thing he had chased as he fought for his life. That he had escaped from death in that fetid cell to this Valhalla was beyond imagination-but she was here, smelling of flowers and warm and loving and wanting him, no matter what he had lost or had been done to him. She didn’t mind. Because love didn’t care. Smiling, she guided him to her slick entrance, her hand helping smear him with her moisture. He looked at her with hazed eyes, forcing himself to concentrate on her needs still.

 

“Are you sure,” he murmured. “They say it hurts…”

 

“Nothing worthwhile is easy,” she murmured. “And with you, Hiccup, the pain is always worth it…” He nodded, kissing her urgently and gently pausing, then lunging forward. She clutched at him and she felt her fingers tighten on him, knowing she was in pain-but she was Astrid and she would never make a sound, no matter how much it hurt. He just prayed that the books were right, that the pain was temporary. He pulled back a little and pushed forward again, the motion much easier. Swiftly building a rhythm, he felt her begin to relax as the initial, brief discomfort passed and her breaths began to hitch once more. And it was so much more, so different to anything he had imagined. Astrid was hot and tight, slick and perfect. They fitted together as if they were made for one another, each thrust coiling the knot on his body tighter and tighter, her gasps and whimpers growing more urgent as they closed on their own Valhalla.

 

Sloppily, he found her mouth again and they kissed, then he buried his head in her shoulder as he approached his climax, his motions ever more urgent. Time had contracted to these few seconds, the rest of the universe gone. There was only Astrid, her scent and her sight, the soft strands of hair brushing his face, her soft skin slick against his. She was warmth and safety and need and desire and as he moved, she moved with him. They were the completion of the other. They were one. 

 

Astrid had wound her legs around his waist, her hips rising to meet him as they moved in synchronicity and she shuddered as he felt her grip him tightly, contractions rippling through her as her tension suddenly released once more. She cried his name, heedless of who may be listening and he added his voice to hers. Finally pushed over the edge by her release, he felt his own blind him with colour and light and heat, the final thrusts erratic as finished and slowed to a halt.

 

Breathing hard, drenched in sweat and utterly spent, he lay over her for a long moment, breathing hard and gazing into the relaxed face of the woman he loved, her sated smile filling him with another surge of love. Forcing his impossibly heavy body to move, he pulled out, rolling off her and wrapping his arms around her as he hit the bed. She snuggled against his body, as hot and sweaty as he was and just as satisfied. Lazily, she dragged a blanket up over the two of them and burrowed into his side.

 

“Books, hmm?” she murmured sleepily. He nodded.

 

“I told you I’d been thinking about this for a long time…” he confessed wearily, pressing a light kiss to her cheek. “I…um…did some research. And I asked Dad for some tips…” She chuckled.

 

“Your Dad?” she asked.

 

“Well, I couldn’t ask Gobber,” he sassed back and she smiled.

 

“Thor, no,” she agreed and then she rested her head on his shoulder. “You were amazing, Babe.”

 

“You were pretty amazing yourself, Milady,” he breathed. “You know, I had thought I was lost as I lay in that cell. I thought I would never see you again. And when I lost my sight, when I slid into that coma…I knew I had to fight to try to hang on. I thought I had lost you-and I fought every second to be with you once more. To always have a Hiccup and Astrid.” She chuckled.

 

“To Berk, maybe,” she smiled. “Here, we’re husband and wife, the Heir and his wife, dragon riders.”

 

“And maybe one day, producers of the Chief’s grandbabies,” Hiccup pointed out. She swatted his shoulder half-heartedly.

 

“Getting ahead of yourself, my love,” she admonished him. But he grinned, unabashed.

 

“Maybe not,” he smirked.

 

“To our home and friends, we’re Hiccup and Astrid,” she told him and smiled. “You’re the man I love and my future. But to our enemies and those who would threaten us, you’ve become the fearsome Dragon Master.” He smiled and tightened his arms around her, his eyes closing with weariness.

 

“And his own Dark Valkyrie,” he said.

 

 

**The End.**

 

**A/N: So we finally reach the end. Astrid is back home, her soul stained but with Hiccup to protect and love her and keep her in the light. And yes, I finally wrote a lemon…after many many requests (apologies to all-it won’t happen again!). Thanks for all your feedback and support-harrypanther.**


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